I think the claim that Yudkowsky’s views on AI risk are meaningfully influenced by money is very weak.
To be clear, I agree. I also agree with your general point that other factors are often more important than money. Some of these factors include the allure of millennialism, or the allure of any sort of totalizing worldview or “ideology”.
I was trying to make a general point against accusations of motivated reasoning related to money, at least in this context. If two sets of people are each getting paid to work on opposite sides of an issue, why only accuse one side of motivated reasoning?
This is indicated by the hundreds of comments, tweets, in-person arguments, DMs, and posts from at least 2023 onward in which I expressed skepticism about AI risk arguments and AI pause proposals.
Thanks for describing this history. Evidence of a similar kind lends strong credence to Yudkowsky forming his views independent from the influence of money as well.
My general view is that reasoning is complex, motivation is complex, people’s real psychology is complex, and that the forum-like behaviour of accusing someone of engaging in X bias is probably a misguided pop science simplification of the relevant scientific knowledge. For instance, when people engage in distorted thinking, the actual underlying reasoning often seems to be a surprisingly complicated multi-step sequence.
The essay above that you co-wrote is incredibly strong. I was the one who originally sent it to Vasco and, since he is a prolific cross-poster and I don’t like to cross-post under my name, encouraged him to cross-post it. I’m glad more people in the EA community have now read it. I think everyone in the EA community should read it. It’s regrettable that there’s only been one object-level comment on the substance of the essay so far, and so many comments about this (to me) relatively uninteresting and unimportant side point about money biasing people’s beliefs. I hope more people will comment on the substance of the essay at some point.
To be clear, I agree. I also agree with your general point that other factors are often more important than money. Some of these factors include the allure of millennialism, or the allure of any sort of totalizing worldview or “ideology”.
I was trying to make a general point against accusations of motivated reasoning related to money, at least in this context. If two sets of people are each getting paid to work on opposite sides of an issue, why only accuse one side of motivated reasoning?
Thanks for describing this history. Evidence of a similar kind lends strong credence to Yudkowsky forming his views independent from the influence of money as well.
My general view is that reasoning is complex, motivation is complex, people’s real psychology is complex, and that the forum-like behaviour of accusing someone of engaging in X bias is probably a misguided pop science simplification of the relevant scientific knowledge. For instance, when people engage in distorted thinking, the actual underlying reasoning often seems to be a surprisingly complicated multi-step sequence.
The essay above that you co-wrote is incredibly strong. I was the one who originally sent it to Vasco and, since he is a prolific cross-poster and I don’t like to cross-post under my name, encouraged him to cross-post it. I’m glad more people in the EA community have now read it. I think everyone in the EA community should read it. It’s regrettable that there’s only been one object-level comment on the substance of the essay so far, and so many comments about this (to me) relatively uninteresting and unimportant side point about money biasing people’s beliefs. I hope more people will comment on the substance of the essay at some point.