Very few of these questions are about you as a person. That seems worth noting. On the one hand I’d be interested in what your favourite novel is. On the other hand that seems an inappropriate question to ask—“Will isn’t here to answer questions about his personality, he’s here to maximise wellbeing”. Should we want to humanise key figures within the EA ideological space (like you)?
I think asking more personal questions in AMAs is a good idea!
Favourite novel: I normally say Crime and Punishment by Dosteovsky, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read it so I’m not sure I can still claim that. I just finished The Dark Forest by Liu Chixin and thought it was excellent.
Laugh: my partner is a very funny person. Last thing that made me laugh was our attempt at making cookies, but it’s hard to convey by text.
For what it’s worth, my thoughts are that I’d love to humanise such people but I’d probably like to do that by consuming content they choose to produce or having dinner with them, etc. It does seem like a waste of valuable time that Will chooses to use here to ask him personal info when he could more valuably spend that time imparting information. We aren’t friends we’re working on a project together.
Obviously that project might work better if we humanise each other. On the other hand in jokes cause cliques which inhibit perhaps inhibit the growth of ideologies—the lack of say athiest culture within EA allows Christains within EA to exist, which might not be possible if this forum contained loads of in jokes/ personal non-EA views.
I remember going to a ‘fireside chat’ at EAGxOxford a few years ago—the first such conference I’d been to. The topic was general wellbeing amongst EAs. Hearing Will and the other participants talk candidly about difficulties they’d faced was very humbling and humanising.
I don’t think we should necessarily shy away from such questions.
Very few of these questions are about you as a person. That seems worth noting. On the one hand I’d be interested in what your favourite novel is. On the other hand that seems an inappropriate question to ask—“Will isn’t here to answer questions about his personality, he’s here to maximise wellbeing”. Should we want to humanise key figures within the EA ideological space (like you)?
If yes, what made you laugh recently?
I think asking more personal questions in AMAs is a good idea!
Favourite novel: I normally say Crime and Punishment by Dosteovsky, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read it so I’m not sure I can still claim that. I just finished The Dark Forest by Liu Chixin and thought it was excellent.
Laugh: my partner is a very funny person. Last thing that made me laugh was our attempt at making cookies, but it’s hard to convey by text.
This reminds me of the most important AMA question of all:
MacAskill, would you rather fight 1 horse-sized chicken, or 100 chicken-sized horses?
I’m pretty terrified of chickens, so I’d go for the horses.
For what it’s worth, my thoughts are that I’d love to humanise such people but I’d probably like to do that by consuming content they choose to produce or having dinner with them, etc. It does seem like a waste of valuable time that Will chooses to use here to ask him personal info when he could more valuably spend that time imparting information. We aren’t friends we’re working on a project together.
Obviously that project might work better if we humanise each other. On the other hand in jokes cause cliques which inhibit perhaps inhibit the growth of ideologies—the lack of say athiest culture within EA allows Christains within EA to exist, which might not be possible if this forum contained loads of in jokes/ personal non-EA views.
Interested to hear thoughts.
I remember going to a ‘fireside chat’ at EAGxOxford a few years ago—the first such conference I’d been to. The topic was general wellbeing amongst EAs. Hearing Will and the other participants talk candidly about difficulties they’d faced was very humbling and humanising.
I don’t think we should necessarily shy away from such questions.
Thank you.
Though in this set of questions, I think we have, right?