The core thing that EA is about is creating an intellectually open space to explore strange fringe ideas about how to make the world better [ . . .]
I would not agree with that. I view the core idea as actually making the world better (i.e., as conducting altruism effectively), and exploring ideas as an instrumental goal toward that end. I do not think focus on an idea that in my view has—at best—a very tenuous link to any plausible theory of doing good in the world is actually instrumental toward the core idea. Too much emphasis on free-expression ideology risks making freedom of expression an end in itself, similar to how scratching the ideological itches of traditional charity donors and executives became an end in itself. And while I think free expression is intrinsically valuable to human beings, I do not think it intrinsically valuable to EA in the same way.
2. Manifest is not an EA event. That is part of what attracted me to it. It belongs to the forecasting community, which is a distinct thing, even if the membership is overlapping. So when EAs try to deplatform speakers at Manifest, they are reaching out beyond their own community and trying to dictate what can be said in someone elses community, which sure makes it look a lot more like your idea of cancel culture.
The organizers advertised here; I think that makes it our business to criticize what they advertised where warranted.
I find the criticism “this wasn’t in your community” and the criticism “you’re trying to dictate to another community” to be somewhat at odds here. I, like most commenters here, have zero power in the forecasting community. Trying to “dictate” what people do in a community over which I have zero power sounds like a colossal waste of time. My lack of power also implies that my criticism would not cause any concrete injury to the forecasting community. To the extent that individual commenters do have some power or influence in the forecasting community, that’s a hint that they are in fact associated with that community to some extent.
I also don’t agree more generally that criticizing actions of another community is “dictating” anything to them. Under a broad definition where expressing disapproval of decisions relating to speech constitutes dictating, I think there are a number of communities to which the vast majority of EAs would like to “dictate” things!
To your first point, fair. I think the crux is just very object level assessments of the individual speakers and the ideas they hold, and I don’t want to go down that road here.
To your second point, your argument seems to imply that it is ok to exercise influence by calling people “racist” anywhere you can. That seems to imply that literally nothing would be “cancel culture” to you, which is not where you started a couple of comments ago.
I would not agree with that. I view the core idea as actually making the world better (i.e., as conducting altruism effectively), and exploring ideas as an instrumental goal toward that end. I do not think focus on an idea that in my view has—at best—a very tenuous link to any plausible theory of doing good in the world is actually instrumental toward the core idea. Too much emphasis on free-expression ideology risks making freedom of expression an end in itself, similar to how scratching the ideological itches of traditional charity donors and executives became an end in itself. And while I think free expression is intrinsically valuable to human beings, I do not think it intrinsically valuable to EA in the same way.
The organizers advertised here; I think that makes it our business to criticize what they advertised where warranted.
I find the criticism “this wasn’t in your community” and the criticism “you’re trying to dictate to another community” to be somewhat at odds here. I, like most commenters here, have zero power in the forecasting community. Trying to “dictate” what people do in a community over which I have zero power sounds like a colossal waste of time. My lack of power also implies that my criticism would not cause any concrete injury to the forecasting community. To the extent that individual commenters do have some power or influence in the forecasting community, that’s a hint that they are in fact associated with that community to some extent.
I also don’t agree more generally that criticizing actions of another community is “dictating” anything to them. Under a broad definition where expressing disapproval of decisions relating to speech constitutes dictating, I think there are a number of communities to which the vast majority of EAs would like to “dictate” things!
To your first point, fair. I think the crux is just very object level assessments of the individual speakers and the ideas they hold, and I don’t want to go down that road here.
To your second point, your argument seems to imply that it is ok to exercise influence by calling people “racist” anywhere you can. That seems to imply that literally nothing would be “cancel culture” to you, which is not where you started a couple of comments ago.