There’s a comment by Saulius on an old EA Forum post: ‘[...] I see EA as something that is mostly useful when you are deciding how you want to do good. After you figured it out, there is little reason to continue engaging with it [...]’.
I found this pretty interesting, and it inspired a bunch of thoughts. Here’s a couple of oversimplified models of what it is to pursue the EA project:
Model 1:
EA involves figuring out how to do the most good and doing it.
Figuring out how to do the most good involves working out what cause area is most important and what career path to pursue.
Doing it involves getting such a job and executing well on it.
Model 2:
EA involves figuring out how to do the most good and doing it.
This is less of a two step process, and more of an ongoing cultivation of virtues and attitudes like scout mindset, effectiveness and so on. It involves constant vigilance, or constant attunement. It’s an ongoing process of development, personal, epistemic, moral etc.
I see most EA community building efforts as mostly framed by model 1. For example EA Groups, the EA Forum (perhaps EAG/ EAGx as well, though this is less clear). It seems to me a common pattern for people to engage in these things heavily when getting involved in EA, and then when people are ‘in’ they stop engaging with them, and focus on executing at their job.
Insofar as engaging with these things (EA groups, EA Forum etc.) is a key component of what it is to engage with EA, I’m inclined to agree with the above comment—once you’ve figured out what to do there’s little reason to continue engaging with EA.
I’d like to see more community building efforts, or EA Infrastructure that’s framed around model 2 - things that give EA’s who are already ‘in’ a reason to continue engaging with EA, things that provide them with value in pursuing this project.
I don’t think model 1 and 2 necessarily have to come into conflict. Or at least, I think it’s fine and good for there to be people that see EA as mostly being relevant to a career decision process. And, for people that want to treat the EA project as more like model 2 (an ongoing process of cultivating virtues like scout mindset, effectiveness and so on, I’d be excited to see more community building, or infrastructure which is designed to support them in these aims.
I like this framing and agree that most CB effort seems to go into model 1, which I also spend most of my time working on. Model 2 efforts could help people choose career paths where they upskill or do direct work in organisations that are not EA-aligned. This could reduce the frustration connected with job searches of early career individuals.
What is the EA project? Also, who is it for?
There’s a comment by Saulius on an old EA Forum post: ‘[...] I see EA as something that is mostly useful when you are deciding how you want to do good. After you figured it out, there is little reason to continue engaging with it [...]’.
I found this pretty interesting, and it inspired a bunch of thoughts. Here’s a couple of oversimplified models of what it is to pursue the EA project:
Model 1:
EA involves figuring out how to do the most good and doing it.
Figuring out how to do the most good involves working out what cause area is most important and what career path to pursue.
Doing it involves getting such a job and executing well on it.
Model 2:
EA involves figuring out how to do the most good and doing it.
This is less of a two step process, and more of an ongoing cultivation of virtues and attitudes like scout mindset, effectiveness and so on. It involves constant vigilance, or constant attunement. It’s an ongoing process of development, personal, epistemic, moral etc.
I see most EA community building efforts as mostly framed by model 1. For example EA Groups, the EA Forum (perhaps EAG/ EAGx as well, though this is less clear). It seems to me a common pattern for people to engage in these things heavily when getting involved in EA, and then when people are ‘in’ they stop engaging with them, and focus on executing at their job.
Insofar as engaging with these things (EA groups, EA Forum etc.) is a key component of what it is to engage with EA, I’m inclined to agree with the above comment—once you’ve figured out what to do there’s little reason to continue engaging with EA.
I’d like to see more community building efforts, or EA Infrastructure that’s framed around model 2 - things that give EA’s who are already ‘in’ a reason to continue engaging with EA, things that provide them with value in pursuing this project.
I don’t think model 1 and 2 necessarily have to come into conflict. Or at least, I think it’s fine and good for there to be people that see EA as mostly being relevant to a career decision process. And, for people that want to treat the EA project as more like model 2 (an ongoing process of cultivating virtues like scout mindset, effectiveness and so on, I’d be excited to see more community building, or infrastructure which is designed to support them in these aims.
I like this framing and agree that most CB effort seems to go into model 1, which I also spend most of my time working on. Model 2 efforts could help people choose career paths where they upskill or do direct work in organisations that are not EA-aligned. This could reduce the frustration connected with job searches of early career individuals.