I also watched the video and was also pleasantly surprised by how fair it ended up feeling.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t find the EA and systemic change section to be that interesting, but that might just be because it’s a critique I’ve spent time reading about previously. My guess is that most other forum readers won’t find much new in that section relative to existing discussions around the issue. And Thorn doesn’t mention anything about tradeoffs or opportunity costs in making that critique, which makes it feel like it’s really missing something. Because for practical purposes, the systemic change argument she’s making requires arguing that it’s worth letting a substantial number of people die from preventable diseases (plus letting a substantial number of people suffer from lack of mental healthcare, letting a substantial number of animals be subject to terrible conditions on factory farms etc.) in the short run in order to bring about systemic change that will do more to save and improve lives in the long run. It’s possible that’s right, but I think making that case really requires a clear understanding of what those opportunity costs are and a justification of why they would be worth accepting.
Also, I found the lack of discussion of animal welfare frustrating. That’s one of the three big cause areas within EA (or one of four if you count community building)!
I also watched the video and was also pleasantly surprised by how fair it ended up feeling.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t find the EA and systemic change section to be that interesting, but that might just be because it’s a critique I’ve spent time reading about previously. My guess is that most other forum readers won’t find much new in that section relative to existing discussions around the issue. And Thorn doesn’t mention anything about tradeoffs or opportunity costs in making that critique, which makes it feel like it’s really missing something. Because for practical purposes, the systemic change argument she’s making requires arguing that it’s worth letting a substantial number of people die from preventable diseases (plus letting a substantial number of people suffer from lack of mental healthcare, letting a substantial number of animals be subject to terrible conditions on factory farms etc.) in the short run in order to bring about systemic change that will do more to save and improve lives in the long run. It’s possible that’s right, but I think making that case really requires a clear understanding of what those opportunity costs are and a justification of why they would be worth accepting.
Also, I found the lack of discussion of animal welfare frustrating. That’s one of the three big cause areas within EA (or one of four if you count community building)!