Also, some of the more neglected topics tend to be more intellectually interesting and especially appealing if you have a bit of a contrarian temperament. One can make the mistake of essentially going all out on neglectedness and mostly work on the most fringe and galaxy-brained topics imaginable.
I’ve been there myself: I think I probably spent too much time thinking about lab universes, descriptive population ethics, etc.
Perhaps it connects to a deeper “silver bullet worldview bias”: I’ve been too attracted to worldviews according to which I can have lots of impact. Very understandable given how much meaning and self-worth I derive from how much good I believe I do.
The real world is rather messy and crowded, so elegant and neglected ideas for having impact can become incredibly appealing, promising both outsized impact and intellectual satisfaction.
Very much agree.
Also, some of the more neglected topics tend to be more intellectually interesting and especially appealing if you have a bit of a contrarian temperament. One can make the mistake of essentially going all out on neglectedness and mostly work on the most fringe and galaxy-brained topics imaginable.
I’ve been there myself: I think I probably spent too much time thinking about lab universes, descriptive population ethics, etc.
Perhaps it connects to a deeper “silver bullet worldview bias”: I’ve been too attracted to worldviews according to which I can have lots of impact. Very understandable given how much meaning and self-worth I derive from how much good I believe I do.
The real world is rather messy and crowded, so elegant and neglected ideas for having impact can become incredibly appealing, promising both outsized impact and intellectual satisfaction.