Effective Altruism certainly has the conceptual richness to support a research institute and I shall look forward to the development of the proposed Oxford Institute for Effective Altruism with considerable enthusiasm. In terms of supporting the future intellectual development of the field I hope the Institute will deliver (or contribute) to taught programmes at Oxford and build up a significant postgraduate research community. A research focus on crucial considerations and cause prioritisation is also appealing because (a) these are extremely powerful, but relatively neglected ideas and (b) when they are linked to “cause neutrality” and “means neutrality” they can become the basis for effective practical action in many diverse domains that have no connection to global philanthropy. For example, I am interested in the application of EA principles in university administration and regional development. There must be many others who have fairly constrained responsibilities and hypothecated budgets who nevertheless want to use the concepts and methods of EA to do the best they can. The new Institute should help them do that.
From time to time I worry that the ideas that make EA so interesting also constitute a barrier to effective outreach. When newcomers engage with the movement and its literature they must often be surprised by the relatively few steps from a concern with global poverty to AI risks, Dyson spheres and von Neumann probes. This is exciting stuff, but many who want to do good better are never going to be interested in things like existential risks, Bayes’ Theorem or cognitive biases—as important and relevant as these things are. I think we have to accept that the intellectual appeal and the practical appeal of EA are never going to converge for many and ensure that the way things are organised reflects this dichotomy.
80,000 Hours is probably the most accessible branch of the EA movement and I hope that after its move to the Bay it will consider a partnership with CFAR to develop a programme to deliver practical transferable skills based on EA principles. I think this would have enormous appeal to many of its clients.
Effective Altruism certainly has the conceptual richness to support a research institute and I shall look forward to the development of the proposed Oxford Institute for Effective Altruism with considerable enthusiasm. In terms of supporting the future intellectual development of the field I hope the Institute will deliver (or contribute) to taught programmes at Oxford and build up a significant postgraduate research community. A research focus on crucial considerations and cause prioritisation is also appealing because (a) these are extremely powerful, but relatively neglected ideas and (b) when they are linked to “cause neutrality” and “means neutrality” they can become the basis for effective practical action in many diverse domains that have no connection to global philanthropy. For example, I am interested in the application of EA principles in university administration and regional development. There must be many others who have fairly constrained responsibilities and hypothecated budgets who nevertheless want to use the concepts and methods of EA to do the best they can. The new Institute should help them do that.
From time to time I worry that the ideas that make EA so interesting also constitute a barrier to effective outreach. When newcomers engage with the movement and its literature they must often be surprised by the relatively few steps from a concern with global poverty to AI risks, Dyson spheres and von Neumann probes. This is exciting stuff, but many who want to do good better are never going to be interested in things like existential risks, Bayes’ Theorem or cognitive biases—as important and relevant as these things are. I think we have to accept that the intellectual appeal and the practical appeal of EA are never going to converge for many and ensure that the way things are organised reflects this dichotomy.
80,000 Hours is probably the most accessible branch of the EA movement and I hope that after its move to the Bay it will consider a partnership with CFAR to develop a programme to deliver practical transferable skills based on EA principles. I think this would have enormous appeal to many of its clients.
I’ve thought for a long time CFAR and 80k have much in common, so I’m glad to see others are thinking about it!
We promote CFAR workshops to 80k users, and CFAR often offers discounts to those who are altruistically motivated. CFAR has also increased its focus on doing good in the last year: http://lesswrong.com/lw/n39/why_cfar_the_view_from_2015/#ambitions
Thanks for the response! Now that you’ll be closer to CFAR, are there more new ways you’ll be collaborating with them?
I’d really like to see CFAR workshops available in the UK too. Is this something CEA/80,000 Hours might be able to facilitate?