Great post Ben, and I think the idea of ‘EA waves’ is a useful framing even if not ~100% historically accurate
Object-level answer: I have a lot of sympathy with Zoe Cremer’s idea that the next phase of EA should be to embrace an ‘institutional turn’, both in our own institutions but also regarding how we approach being effective at our other cause areas. However, as IIDM is probably the area I’m most interested in, take this with a large degree of bias and discount accordingly!! I would still suggest Forum readers check out sources that Cremer highlights as promising—e.g. the work of Audrey Tang in Taiwan, or Helene Landemore’s research agenda at Yale.
Meta-level question: I think it’s interesting to me that this frame is easily accepted in terms of the first ‘bednet’ wave being replaced by the second ‘AI/longtermism’ wave. I agree that there has been a change here, but I think this change may have been reified somewhat. To what extent was early EA eden before the fall compared to EA now? Surely some of that change is honestly people changing their minds? Furthermore, a lot (most?) EA funding still goes to GH&D, we’re still all about bednets! (I know you talk about ‘flagship’ cause areas in this post, but I often see people push this point to its biggest extreme in discussion, but maybe I’m overreacting here)
Great post Ben, and I think the idea of ‘EA waves’ is a useful framing even if not ~100% historically accurate
Object-level answer: I have a lot of sympathy with Zoe Cremer’s idea that the next phase of EA should be to embrace an ‘institutional turn’, both in our own institutions but also regarding how we approach being effective at our other cause areas. However, as IIDM is probably the area I’m most interested in, take this with a large degree of bias and discount accordingly!! I would still suggest Forum readers check out sources that Cremer highlights as promising—e.g. the work of Audrey Tang in Taiwan, or Helene Landemore’s research agenda at Yale.
Meta-level question: I think it’s interesting to me that this frame is easily accepted in terms of the first ‘bednet’ wave being replaced by the second ‘AI/longtermism’ wave. I agree that there has been a change here, but I think this change may have been reified somewhat. To what extent was early EA eden before the fall compared to EA now? Surely some of that change is honestly people changing their minds? Furthermore, a lot (most?) EA funding still goes to GH&D, we’re still all about bednets! (I know you talk about ‘flagship’ cause areas in this post, but I often see people push this point to its biggest extreme in discussion, but maybe I’m overreacting here)