Really liked this post, and as an oldie myself (by which I mean in my 40s, which feels like quite old compared to the average EA or EA-Adjacent), I resonated a lot with it. In my case, I am not an ‘old hand EA’ though: I rather arrived relatively circuitously and recently (about 3 years ago) to it.
Some have commented, here or elsewhere, that the fact that EA puts so much emphasis on the effectiveness means that it generally doesn’t care much about either community building, general recruitment/retention and group satisfaction, and when it half-heartedly tries to engage in this, it is with a utilitarian logic that doesn’t seem congenial to the task. Once could make a good case, though, that this isn’t a bug, but a feature: EA as resources-optimizer with little time to waste, given the importance of the issues it tries to solve or ameliorate on dealing with a less active, talented and effective series of people and needs. Once senses an elitist streak inevitably tied to its moral seriousness and focus on results.
On the other hand, I feel communities tend to thrive when they manage to become hospitable and nice places where people are happy to be in, in different degrees. This is what most successful movements -and religions- manage successfully: come for the values, stay for the group.
Passion and intellectual engagement also help a lot, but these perhaps vary a lot in a way that isn’t tractable. Like the OP, I find much of the forum posts dull and uninteresting, but then again, the type of person I am, my priorities, values and interests mean I am probably badly fitted to become anything more than mildly EA-Adjacent, so I don’t think I’d be a good benchmark in this regard. I think Will’s recent post on EA in the age of AGI does hit the nail on the head in many respects, with interesting ideas for revitalizing and updating EA, its actions and its goals. EA might never match religion’s or some group’s capacity for lifelong belonging, but recognizing that limitation, and trying to soften its edges, could make it more resilient.
Really liked this post, and as an oldie myself (by which I mean in my 40s, which feels like quite old compared to the average EA or EA-Adjacent), I resonated a lot with it. In my case, I am not an ‘old hand EA’ though: I rather arrived relatively circuitously and recently (about 3 years ago) to it.
Some have commented, here or elsewhere, that the fact that EA puts so much emphasis on the effectiveness means that it generally doesn’t care much about either community building, general recruitment/retention and group satisfaction, and when it half-heartedly tries to engage in this, it is with a utilitarian logic that doesn’t seem congenial to the task. Once could make a good case, though, that this isn’t a bug, but a feature: EA as resources-optimizer with little time to waste, given the importance of the issues it tries to solve or ameliorate on dealing with a less active, talented and effective series of people and needs. Once senses an elitist streak inevitably tied to its moral seriousness and focus on results.
On the other hand, I feel communities tend to thrive when they manage to become hospitable and nice places where people are happy to be in, in different degrees. This is what most successful movements -and religions- manage successfully: come for the values, stay for the group.
Passion and intellectual engagement also help a lot, but these perhaps vary a lot in a way that isn’t tractable. Like the OP, I find much of the forum posts dull and uninteresting, but then again, the type of person I am, my priorities, values and interests mean I am probably badly fitted to become anything more than mildly EA-Adjacent, so I don’t think I’d be a good benchmark in this regard. I think Will’s recent post on EA in the age of AGI does hit the nail on the head in many respects, with interesting ideas for revitalizing and updating EA, its actions and its goals. EA might never match religion’s or some group’s capacity for lifelong belonging, but recognizing that limitation, and trying to soften its edges, could make it more resilient.