Great post. I totally agree with the framing of meritocratic vs inclusive orgs and their inherent tension. It may be an awkward analogy but EA is more or less a modern religion and religion has already figured out how to navigate this dynamic.
Basically you have churches as the inclusive geographic community center where believers come on a regular basis. There’s a sermon to reaffirm and bring perspective to their faith/ideology. There’s art in multiple forms such as music, sculpture to connect at an emotional level. There’s rituals to lend weight to belief and most importantly you have a community of peers who share the same values that you can socialize amongst.
I think there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from this history on how to build widespread movements. As you’ve identified EA needs these home bases where people can stay connected to the movement, even as they pursue careers that aren’t strictly EA.
Great post. I totally agree with the framing of meritocratic vs inclusive orgs and their inherent tension. It may be an awkward analogy but EA is more or less a modern religion and religion has already figured out how to navigate this dynamic.
Basically you have churches as the inclusive geographic community center where believers come on a regular basis. There’s a sermon to reaffirm and bring perspective to their faith/ideology. There’s art in multiple forms such as music, sculpture to connect at an emotional level. There’s rituals to lend weight to belief and most importantly you have a community of peers who share the same values that you can socialize amongst.
I think there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from this history on how to build widespread movements. As you’ve identified EA needs these home bases where people can stay connected to the movement, even as they pursue careers that aren’t strictly EA.