academic prose… is unlikely to lead someone into fruitful EA behavior.
I think the strategy for motivating new people to join the EA movement should be different from the strategy for getting existing EAs to be more productive.
The important thing for EAs in this case of course is not to feel bad for buying a book or a Chai, but to understand how tremendously valuable their money and money acquiring capacity is.
This can be motivating. But I think it can also prompt a “penny wise, pound foolish” attitude where you spend your finite attention optimizing small purchases rather than large career decisions.
Your last paragraph presents a better case. I’m not especially worried about Givewell scamming people, but I do remember seeing research suggesting that volunteers tend to donate more after they finish volunteering, and reading about the progress my favorite charities are making does seem to motivate me in my earning to give.
I think the strategy for motivating new people to join the EA movement should be different from the strategy for getting existing EAs to be more productive.
This can be motivating. But I think it can also prompt a “penny wise, pound foolish” attitude where you spend your finite attention optimizing small purchases rather than large career decisions.
Your last paragraph presents a better case. I’m not especially worried about Givewell scamming people, but I do remember seeing research suggesting that volunteers tend to donate more after they finish volunteering, and reading about the progress my favorite charities are making does seem to motivate me in my earning to give.