I note your main project is writing a book on longtermism. Would you like to see the EA movement going in a direction where it focuses exclusively, or almost exclusively, on longtermist issues? If not, why not?
To explain the second question, it would seem answering ‘no’ to the first question would be in tension with advocating (strong) longtermism.
I’m pro there being a diversity of worldviews and causes in EA—I’m not certain in longtermism, and think such diversity is a good thing even on longtermist grounds. I mention reasons in the ‘steel manning arguments against EA’s focus on longtermism’ question. And I talked a little bit about this in my recent EAG London talk. Other considerations are helping to avoid groupthink (which I think is very important), positive externalities (a success in one area transfers to others) and the mundane benefit of economies of scale.
I do think that the traditional poverty/animals/x-risk breakdown feels a bit path-dependent though, and we could have more people pursuing cause areas outside of that. I think that your work fleshing out your worldview and figuring out what follows from it is the sort of thing I’d like to see more of.
I note your main project is writing a book on longtermism. Would you like to see the EA movement going in a direction where it focuses exclusively, or almost exclusively, on longtermist issues? If not, why not?
To explain the second question, it would seem answering ‘no’ to the first question would be in tension with advocating (strong) longtermism.
I’m pro there being a diversity of worldviews and causes in EA—I’m not certain in longtermism, and think such diversity is a good thing even on longtermist grounds. I mention reasons in the ‘steel manning arguments against EA’s focus on longtermism’ question. And I talked a little bit about this in my recent EAG London talk. Other considerations are helping to avoid groupthink (which I think is very important), positive externalities (a success in one area transfers to others) and the mundane benefit of economies of scale.
I do think that the traditional poverty/animals/x-risk breakdown feels a bit path-dependent though, and we could have more people pursuing cause areas outside of that. I think that your work fleshing out your worldview and figuring out what follows from it is the sort of thing I’d like to see more of.