bem of the While recognizing the benefits of the anti-”EA should” taboo, I also think it has some substantial downsides and needs to be invoked after consideration of the specific circumstances at hand.
One downside is that the taboo can impose significant additional burdens on a would-be poster, discouraging them from posting in the first place. If it takes significant time investment to write “X should be done,” it is far from certain others will agree, and then additional significant time to figure out/write “and it should be done by Y,” then the taboo would require someone who wants to write the former to invest in writing the latter before knowing if the former will get any traction. Being okay with the would-be poster deferring certain subquestions (like “who”) means that effort can be saved if there’s not enough traction on the basic merits.
As I’ve already mentioned in other comments, I have myself already decided to begin pursuing a greater degree of inquiry, with haste. I’ve publicly notified others who’d offer pushback solely on the basis of reinforcing or enforcing such a taboo is likely to only motivate to do so with more gusto.
knowledge, or resources relevant to part of a complex question
I have some knowledge and access to resources that would be relevant to solving at least a minor but still significant part of that complex question. I refer to the details in question in my comment that I linked to above.
This isn’t a do-ocracy project. Doing it properly is not going to be cheap (e.g., hiring an investigative firm), and so ability to get funded for this is a prerequisite. Expecting a Forum commenter to know who could plausibly get funding is a bit much. To the extent that that is a reasonable expectation, we would also expect the reader to know that—so it is a minor defect. To the extent that who could get funded is a null set, then bemoaning a perceived lack of willingness to invest in a perceived important issue in ecosystem health is a valid post.
To the extent I can begin laying the groundwork for a more thorough investigation to follow what is beyond the capacity of myself and prospective collaborators further, such an investigation will now at least start snowballing as a do-ocracy project. I know multiple people who could plausibly begin funding this, who themselves in turn may know several other people who’d be willing to do it. Some of the funders in question may be willing to uniquely fund myself, or a team I could (co-)lead, to begin doing the investigation in at least a semi-formal manner.
That would be some quieter critics in the background of EA, or others who are no longer effective altruists but have definitely long wanted such an investigation to like has begun to proceed. Why they might trust me in particular is due to my reputation in EA community for years now as being one effective altruist who is more irreverent towards the pecking orders or hiearchies, both formal and informal, of any organized network or section of the EA movement. At any rate, at least to some extent, a lack of much willingness from within the EA to fund the first steps of an inquiry is no longer a relevant concern. I don’t recall if we’ve interacted much before, though as you may soon learn, I am someone in the orbit of effective altruism who sometimes has an uncanny knack for meeting unusual or unreasonable expectations.
Many good investigations do not have a specific list of people/entities who are the target of investigatory concern at the outset. They have a list of questions, and a good sense of the starting points for inquiry (and figuring out where other useful information lies).
Having begun several months ago thinking of pursuing what I can contribute to such a nascent investigation, I already have in mind a list of several people in mind, as well as some questions, starting points for inquiry, and an approach for how to further identify potentially useful information. I intend to begin drafting a document to organize the process I have in mind, and I may be willing to privately share it in confidence with some individuals. You would be included, if you would be interested.
As I’ve already mentioned in other comments, I have myself already decided to begin pursuing a greater degree of inquiry, with haste. I’ve publicly notified others who’d offer pushback solely on the basis of reinforcing or enforcing such a taboo is likely to only motivate to do so with more gusto.
I have some knowledge and access to resources that would be relevant to solving at least a minor but still significant part of that complex question. I refer to the details in question in my comment that I linked to above.
To the extent I can begin laying the groundwork for a more thorough investigation to follow what is beyond the capacity of myself and prospective collaborators further, such an investigation will now at least start snowballing as a do-ocracy project. I know multiple people who could plausibly begin funding this, who themselves in turn may know several other people who’d be willing to do it. Some of the funders in question may be willing to uniquely fund myself, or a team I could (co-)lead, to begin doing the investigation in at least a semi-formal manner.
That would be some quieter critics in the background of EA, or others who are no longer effective altruists but have definitely long wanted such an investigation to like has begun to proceed. Why they might trust me in particular is due to my reputation in EA community for years now as being one effective altruist who is more irreverent towards the pecking orders or hiearchies, both formal and informal, of any organized network or section of the EA movement. At any rate, at least to some extent, a lack of much willingness from within the EA to fund the first steps of an inquiry is no longer a relevant concern. I don’t recall if we’ve interacted much before, though as you may soon learn, I am someone in the orbit of effective altruism who sometimes has an uncanny knack for meeting unusual or unreasonable expectations.
Having begun several months ago thinking of pursuing what I can contribute to such a nascent investigation, I already have in mind a list of several people in mind, as well as some questions, starting points for inquiry, and an approach for how to further identify potentially useful information. I intend to begin drafting a document to organize the process I have in mind, and I may be willing to privately share it in confidence with some individuals. You would be included, if you would be interested.