I see “effective altruist” as a dodgy shorthand for the full term: “aspiring effective altruist”. I’m happy to identify as the latter in writing (though it is too clunky for speech).
I’m the same. I’m a “member” and even a “community leader” in the “EA movement”, and happy to identify as such. But calling yourself an “Effective Altruist” is to call yourself an “altruist”, at least in the ears of someone who isn’t familiar with the movement. I think it will sound morally pretentious or self-aggrandizing. Generally the label of “altruist” should be given to an individual by others, not claimed, if it should ever be applied to describe a specific individual, which actually seems a bit weird regardless of whoever is bestowing the label.
Yeah, I’m an EA: an Estimated-as-Effective-in-Expectation (in Excess of Endeavors with Equivalent Ends I’ve Evaluated) Agent with an Audaciously Altruistic Agenda.
I see “effective altruist” as a dodgy shorthand for the full term: “aspiring effective altruist”. I’m happy to identify as the latter in writing (though it is too clunky for speech).
I’m the same. I’m a “member” and even a “community leader” in the “EA movement”, and happy to identify as such. But calling yourself an “Effective Altruist” is to call yourself an “altruist”, at least in the ears of someone who isn’t familiar with the movement. I think it will sound morally pretentious or self-aggrandizing. Generally the label of “altruist” should be given to an individual by others, not claimed, if it should ever be applied to describe a specific individual, which actually seems a bit weird regardless of whoever is bestowing the label.
Yeah, I’m an EA: an Estimated-as-Effective-in-Expectation (in Excess of Endeavors with Equivalent Ends I’ve Evaluated) Agent with an Audaciously Altruistic Agenda.