Thanks for this perspective. I agree that the idea of finding a natural balance is appealing.
However, I think this touches on a fundamental tension in EA. The entire premise of the movement is that the “wisdom of the crowd” in charitable giving often leads to suboptimal outcomes, which is why we turn to rigorous analysis in the first place. We don’t trust the crowd to decide between malaria nets and deworming; we use evidence.
My post is questioning the assumption that a “middle ground” is correct. From the perspective of a single donor’s marginal dollar, it’s always a 100⁄0 choice. My argument is that the asymmetrical value of a human life suggests that the most effective choice is consistently on one side of that trade-off.
So while the overall EA portfolio might be diversified, I’m still stuck on the question of what an individual donor should do to be most effective, and I’m not sure an appeal to balance can resolve that.
Telling people what they should do is antithetical to respect and agency and human flourishing. Making moral arguments is one thing, but authoritarianism crosses the line. IMHO.
Thanks for this perspective. I agree that the idea of finding a natural balance is appealing.
However, I think this touches on a fundamental tension in EA. The entire premise of the movement is that the “wisdom of the crowd” in charitable giving often leads to suboptimal outcomes, which is why we turn to rigorous analysis in the first place. We don’t trust the crowd to decide between malaria nets and deworming; we use evidence.
My post is questioning the assumption that a “middle ground” is correct. From the perspective of a single donor’s marginal dollar, it’s always a 100⁄0 choice. My argument is that the asymmetrical value of a human life suggests that the most effective choice is consistently on one side of that trade-off.
So while the overall EA portfolio might be diversified, I’m still stuck on the question of what an individual donor should do to be most effective, and I’m not sure an appeal to balance can resolve that.
Telling people what they should do is antithetical to respect and agency and human flourishing. Making moral arguments is one thing, but authoritarianism crosses the line. IMHO.