This seems more true for those who take an obligation-oriented perspective than an opportunity-oriented perspective.
Personally, I am concerned with animal suffering but I’m not a vegetarian. I agree with Katja Grace: “I am personally not a vegetarian because I don’t think it is an effective way to be altruistic.” I also agree with Chris Hallquist (who is vegan) that vegan activism seems like a relatively bad way to help animals in the long run. (It’s hard to measure how vegan activism might polarize people away from caring about animals, which would make passing a law more difficult.) And that’s not even accounting for the fact that, like Nick Beckstead, I think the far future is of overwhelming importance and it’s dubious to me that my avoiding animal meals now will have any significant positive effect on it.
EA is kinda inherently judgey in this way.
This seems more true for those who take an obligation-oriented perspective than an opportunity-oriented perspective.
Personally, I am concerned with animal suffering but I’m not a vegetarian. I agree with Katja Grace: “I am personally not a vegetarian because I don’t think it is an effective way to be altruistic.” I also agree with Chris Hallquist (who is vegan) that vegan activism seems like a relatively bad way to help animals in the long run. (It’s hard to measure how vegan activism might polarize people away from caring about animals, which would make passing a law more difficult.) And that’s not even accounting for the fact that, like Nick Beckstead, I think the far future is of overwhelming importance and it’s dubious to me that my avoiding animal meals now will have any significant positive effect on it.