Really good post, you’re really getting at what counts.
Sometimes I get a vibe from community building efforts that people feel like 100% conversion from “wants to do good” to EA is the target or goal. When I often want to say, “no, a failed conversion might be great, it might mean someone is thinking clearly about niche philosophical conundrum xyz and happens to fall to the opposite side of us”. I think this is good and should be celebrated, but it means certain estimates of what the ceiling of EA participation is (like people who think we’ll be as big as “environmentalism” or “antiabortion” someday) are straightforwardly wrong.
(Note “conversion” has religious overtones but it’s also a marketing term, I’m using it in the marketing sense)
Yes, I strongly agree—and don’t think failed conversions are actually opposed to us. Usually, we want people to be effective at doing good even if they disagree about what the most good is. I’d prefer someone spending money to improve music education effectively to someone doing it ineffectively, even if I don’t think it’s the highest priority.
Really good post, you’re really getting at what counts.
Sometimes I get a vibe from community building efforts that people feel like 100% conversion from “wants to do good” to EA is the target or goal. When I often want to say, “no, a failed conversion might be great, it might mean someone is thinking clearly about niche philosophical conundrum xyz and happens to fall to the opposite side of us”. I think this is good and should be celebrated, but it means certain estimates of what the ceiling of EA participation is (like people who think we’ll be as big as “environmentalism” or “antiabortion” someday) are straightforwardly wrong.
(Note “conversion” has religious overtones but it’s also a marketing term, I’m using it in the marketing sense)
Yes, I strongly agree—and don’t think failed conversions are actually opposed to us. Usually, we want people to be effective at doing good even if they disagree about what the most good is. I’d prefer someone spending money to improve music education effectively to someone doing it ineffectively, even if I don’t think it’s the highest priority.