“a senior AGI safety person has given me permission to not have a view and not feel embarrassed about it.”
For a lack of a better word, this sound cultish to me, why would one need permission “from someone senior” to think or feel anything? If someone said this to me it would be a red flag about the group/community.
I think your first suggestion (“I’ve thought about X a fair amount but haven’t reached a satisfactory conclusion”) sounds much more reasonable, if OP feels like that reflects their opinion. But I also think that something like “I don’t personally feel convinced by the AGI risk arguments, but many others disagree, I think you should read up on it more and reach your own conclusions”, is much more reasonable than your second suggestion. I think we should welcome different opinions, as long as someone agrees with the main EA principles they are an EA, it should not be about agreeing completely with cause A, B and C.
Sorry if I am over-interpreting your suggestion as implying much more than you meant, I am just giving my personal reaction.
Yep, that’s very fair. What I was trying to say was that if in response to the first suggestion someone said “Why aren’t you deferring to others?” you could use that as a joke backup, but agreed that it reads badly.
edit: I don’t have a sense of humor
“a senior AGI safety person has given me permission to not have a view and not feel embarrassed about it.”For a lack of a better word, this sound cultish to me, why would one need permission “from someone senior” to think or feel anything? If someone said this to me it would be a red flag about the group/community.I think your first suggestion (“I’ve thought about X a fair amount but haven’t reached a satisfactory conclusion”) sounds much more reasonable, if OP feels like that reflects their opinion. But I also think that something like “I don’t personally feel convinced by the AGI risk arguments, but many others disagree, I think you should read up on it more and reach your own conclusions”, is much more reasonable than your second suggestion. I think we should welcome different opinions, as long as someone agrees with the main EA principles they are an EA, it should not be about agreeing completely with cause A, B and C.Sorry if I am over-interpreting your suggestion as implying much more than you meant, I am just giving my personal reaction.Disclaimer: long time lurker, first time poster.Yep, that’s very fair. What I was trying to say was that if in response to the first suggestion someone said “Why aren’t you deferring to others?” you could use that as a joke backup, but agreed that it reads badly.
Makes a lot of sense :D I just didn’t get the joke, which I in hindsight probably should have… :P