I think a separate but plausibly better point is the “memetic gradient” is characterized in known awful ways for politics, and many longtermist theories of change offer an opportunity for something better. If you pursue a political theory of change, you’re consenting to a relentless onslaught of people begging you to make your epistemics worse on purpose. This is a perfectly good reason not to sign up for politics, the longtermist ecosystem is not immune to similar issues but it seems certainly like there’s a fighting chance or that it’s the least bad of all options.
I think a separate but plausibly better point is the “memetic gradient” is characterized in known awful ways for politics, and many longtermist theories of change offer an opportunity for something better. If you pursue a political theory of change, you’re consenting to a relentless onslaught of people begging you to make your epistemics worse on purpose. This is a perfectly good reason not to sign up for politics, the longtermist ecosystem is not immune to similar issues but it seems certainly like there’s a fighting chance or that it’s the least bad of all options.