I think this may be right. I’d like to see more careful discussion of this—perhaps with posts on this forum laying out a clear case for various different causes.
That would be great!
One reason that it happens less than it might is that trying it’s not just a case of trying to persuade them that the thing you like is good—you also have to persuade them that it’s better than the thing they like. This can make it seem more like an attack, which may put people off (perhaps correctly).
Agreed that this makes it tricky, and this consequence of focusing on what’s ‘best’ reminds me of what Jess described in Supportive Scepticism. Hopefully EAs can find a way to have productive discussions about these things that aren’t phrased or taken as attacks.
That would be great!
Agreed that this makes it tricky, and this consequence of focusing on what’s ‘best’ reminds me of what Jess described in Supportive Scepticism. Hopefully EAs can find a way to have productive discussions about these things that aren’t phrased or taken as attacks.