I disagree with this reasoning. The point of a commitment device is to, you know, commit you. If you can break a pledge whenever you want, it’s not actually a pledge. If you commit yourself to something, it’s because you think there’s a possibility that you will change your mind in the future and you want to prevent that from happening. So the commitment serves no purpose if it doesn’t actually prevent you from changing your mind.
Perhaps there’s value in publicly registering “I plan on donating 10%” without explicitly committing to it, in which case it shouldn’t be framed as a commitment.
There are different levels and types of commitment devices. One could use a pledge to bind oneself to continue giving even if in future you think it’s the wrong thing to do—but I’m more skeptical that that is a good idea, for the reasons people have given. And I don’t think most pledgers see themselves as binding their future behaviour this way.
It’s also not how I’m using it, and it is still useful to me as a more gentle reminder of what I think is morally desirable behaviour. Just as agreeing to go to meet your friends at the gym is helpful even though it won’t (and isn’t designed to) force you to go to the gym even if you are e.g. injured or decide that gymming actually harms your health.
I disagree with this reasoning. The point of a commitment device is to, you know, commit you. If you can break a pledge whenever you want, it’s not actually a pledge. If you commit yourself to something, it’s because you think there’s a possibility that you will change your mind in the future and you want to prevent that from happening. So the commitment serves no purpose if it doesn’t actually prevent you from changing your mind.
Perhaps there’s value in publicly registering “I plan on donating 10%” without explicitly committing to it, in which case it shouldn’t be framed as a commitment.
There are different levels and types of commitment devices. One could use a pledge to bind oneself to continue giving even if in future you think it’s the wrong thing to do—but I’m more skeptical that that is a good idea, for the reasons people have given. And I don’t think most pledgers see themselves as binding their future behaviour this way.
It’s also not how I’m using it, and it is still useful to me as a more gentle reminder of what I think is morally desirable behaviour. Just as agreeing to go to meet your friends at the gym is helpful even though it won’t (and isn’t designed to) force you to go to the gym even if you are e.g. injured or decide that gymming actually harms your health.
I think I’d be quite happy to have a public thing of the sort that Rob describes, but I don’t feel that’s what the GWWC pledge is.