I’m also pretty sceptical about our ability to expand beyond our ‘core constituency’ of people who were basically on board in advance. But it’s worth noting that that constituency would be many times larger than what we currently have; looking at differences in participation between relatively similar countries (e.g. England versus France) or very similar universities (e.g. Cambridge versus Imperial) really highlights this.
While it’s likely true that many people are currently beyond convincing, a movement has to start somewhere if it’s ever going to become mainstream. This was true for the abolition of slavery early in the 19th century, women’s suffrage in the early 20th century and to some extent gay marriage in the recent past.
One reasonable explanation for this is that older people are much more difficult to convince than those who are still in their formative years. So while there will be many > 30 who will be drawn immediately to the movement, it is likely that broader success will be slower. It’s also unlikely that it will simply happen, but with perseverance from those within the movement, outreach focused in the right areas, and the passage of time, Effect Altruism will hopefully some day become a social norm.
I’m also pretty sceptical about our ability to expand beyond our ‘core constituency’ of people who were basically on board in advance. But it’s worth noting that that constituency would be many times larger than what we currently have; looking at differences in participation between relatively similar countries (e.g. England versus France) or very similar universities (e.g. Cambridge versus Imperial) really highlights this.
While it’s likely true that many people are currently beyond convincing, a movement has to start somewhere if it’s ever going to become mainstream. This was true for the abolition of slavery early in the 19th century, women’s suffrage in the early 20th century and to some extent gay marriage in the recent past. One reasonable explanation for this is that older people are much more difficult to convince than those who are still in their formative years. So while there will be many > 30 who will be drawn immediately to the movement, it is likely that broader success will be slower. It’s also unlikely that it will simply happen, but with perseverance from those within the movement, outreach focused in the right areas, and the passage of time, Effect Altruism will hopefully some day become a social norm.