I personally find the name “effective altruism” somewhat cringe and off-putting. I’ve become used to it over the years but I still hear it and feel embarrassed every now and then.
I find the label “effective altruist” several notches worse: that elicits a slight cringe reaction most of the time I encounter it.
The names “Global priorities” and “Progress studies” don’t trigger a cringe reaction for me.
I have a couple of EA-inclined acquaintances who have told me they were put off by the name “effective altruism”.
While I don’t like the name, the thought that it might be driving large and net positive selection effects does not seem crazy to me.
I would be glad if someone gave this topic further thought, plausibly to the extent of conducting surveys and speaking to relevant experts.
Thanks for writing this, Jonas.
For what it’s worth:
I share the concerns you mentioned.
I personally find the name “effective altruism” somewhat cringe and off-putting. I’ve become used to it over the years but I still hear it and feel embarrassed every now and then.
I find the label “effective altruist” several notches worse: that elicits a slight cringe reaction most of the time I encounter it.
The names “Global priorities” and “Progress studies” don’t trigger a cringe reaction for me.
I have a couple of EA-inclined acquaintances who have told me they were put off by the name “effective altruism”.
While I don’t like the name, the thought that it might be driving large and net positive selection effects does not seem crazy to me.
I would be glad if someone gave this topic further thought, plausibly to the extent of conducting surveys and speaking to relevant experts.