So it doesn’t seem to be that there’s any insoluble tension between taking account of individual difference and communicating the same message to a broad audience
I don’t think the tension is between those things. The tension is between saying ‘our research is useful: it tells (group X) of people what it is best for them to do’ and ‘our research does not offering a definite ranking of what it is before for people to do (whether people in group X or otherwise)’. I don’t think you can have this both ways.
While this isn’t entirely personalized (it’s based only on certain attributes that 80,000 Hours highlights), it’s also far from a single, definitive list
Then it seems reasonable to interpret it as (an attempt at) a definitive list if you have those attributes.
I understand why the author is arguing that 80k doesn’t offer a big list but I think that argument is undermines the claim that 80k is useful (“Hey, we’re not telling anyone what to do?” “Really? I thought that was the point”)
The tension is between saying ‘our research is useful: it tells (group X) of people what it is best for them to do’ and ‘our research does not offering a definitive ranking of what it is before for people to do (whether people in group X or otherwise)’.
Though I am saying that 80,000 Hours’ research can’t offer a single, definite ranking of what is best for everyone to do, that doesn’t mean that their research isn’t very useful for people figuring out what it is best for them to do.
The way I might put it: 80,000 Hours research helps people put together their own list of what is best for them to do, by (1) offering lots of information people need to combine with their own knowledge about themselves to build their list—e.g., what certain jobs are like, how people typically get into a particular job, and so on, (2) offering tools for people to use to figure out the information about themselves that they need—like for assessing personal fit, etc., and (3) offering guidance on how to prioritize options according to the impact that people in the roles can have under various different circumstances. 80,000 hours also does things like seek out specific positions and bring them to people’s attention.
All this is really useful, I believe, for helping people do the most good they can with their careers, without any of it amounting to creating a big list of what it’s best for everyone in group x (e.g., the EA community) to do.
Though I am saying that 80,000 Hours’ research can’t offer a single, definite ranking of what is best for everyone to do, that doesn’t mean that their research isn’t very useful for people figuring out what it is best for them to do
Well, they do offer A list of the most urgent global problems. I’ll grant this isn’t a list of what it is best for everyone to do, but it is (plausibly, from their perspective) a list of what it is best for most people to do (or ‘most EAs’ or some nearby specification). Indeed, given 80k has a concept of ‘personal fit’, which is distinct from their rating of the problems, the natural reading of the list is that it provides a general, impersonal ranking of where (average?) individuals can do the most good.
I’m concerned you’re defending a straw man - did anyone ever claim 80k’s list was true for every single possible person? I don’t think so and such a claim would be implausible.
I’m concerned you’re defending a straw man - did anyone ever claim 80k’s list was true for every single possible person? I don’t think so and such a claim would be implausible.
As an anecdote, I’ve always read their list and recommendations as applying to their target audience of talented graduates of elite Western colleges.
To be clear, I don’t know whether they specifically target elite college graduates. I was speaking slightly loosely and don’t have any inside information on 80k. It just seems to me that use elite colleges are a proxy for ambitious graduates.
I don’t think the tension is between those things. The tension is between saying ‘our research is useful: it tells (group X) of people what it is best for them to do’ and ‘our research does not offering a definite ranking of what it is before for people to do (whether people in group X or otherwise)’. I don’t think you can have this both ways.
Then it seems reasonable to interpret it as (an attempt at) a definitive list if you have those attributes.
I understand why the author is arguing that 80k doesn’t offer a big list but I think that argument is undermines the claim that 80k is useful (“Hey, we’re not telling anyone what to do?” “Really? I thought that was the point”)
Though I am saying that 80,000 Hours’ research can’t offer a single, definite ranking of what is best for everyone to do, that doesn’t mean that their research isn’t very useful for people figuring out what it is best for them to do.
The way I might put it: 80,000 Hours research helps people put together their own list of what is best for them to do, by (1) offering lots of information people need to combine with their own knowledge about themselves to build their list—e.g., what certain jobs are like, how people typically get into a particular job, and so on, (2) offering tools for people to use to figure out the information about themselves that they need—like for assessing personal fit, etc., and (3) offering guidance on how to prioritize options according to the impact that people in the roles can have under various different circumstances. 80,000 hours also does things like seek out specific positions and bring them to people’s attention.
All this is really useful, I believe, for helping people do the most good they can with their careers, without any of it amounting to creating a big list of what it’s best for everyone in group x (e.g., the EA community) to do.
Well, they do offer A list of the most urgent global problems. I’ll grant this isn’t a list of what it is best for everyone to do, but it is (plausibly, from their perspective) a list of what it is best for most people to do (or ‘most EAs’ or some nearby specification). Indeed, given 80k has a concept of ‘personal fit’, which is distinct from their rating of the problems, the natural reading of the list is that it provides a general, impersonal ranking of where (average?) individuals can do the most good.
I’m concerned you’re defending a straw man - did anyone ever claim 80k’s list was true for every single possible person? I don’t think so and such a claim would be implausible.
As an anecdote, I’ve always read their list and recommendations as applying to their target audience of talented graduates of elite Western colleges.
Have they ever admitted to specifically targeting graduates of elite colleges rather than ambitious graduates generally?
To be clear, I don’t know whether they specifically target elite college graduates. I was speaking slightly loosely and don’t have any inside information on 80k. It just seems to me that use elite colleges are a proxy for ambitious graduates.
Yup. In which case, it is a ‘big list’ for such folks.