As Astrid Wilde noted on Twitter, there is a distinct possibility that the causality of the situation may have run the other way, with SBF as a conman taking advantage of the EA community’s high-trust environment to boost himself.
What makes this implausible for me is that SBF has been involved in EA since very early one (~2013 or earlier?). Back then, there was no money, power or fame to speak of, so why join this fringe movement?
To be clear, I think there were multiple causal factors, and believing in EA probably explained a lot less variance than SBF’s idiosyncratic character traits (e.g., plausibly dark triad traits, especially narcissism and Machiavellianism which entail immense lust for power and fame, disregard of common-sense morality such as not lying, etc.). I mean, there are like 10,000 EAs and I don’t know of anyone who has committed a serious crime because of EA.
A hypothetical human with the same personality traits as SBF but who doesn’t believe in EA, plausibly would have done pretty shady things as well. Unfortunately, it is possible that EA motivated SBF to amass even more power and money than otherwise. Also, EA provided SBF with a network of highly competent, motivated and trusting people.
I think conceiving of SBF as someone who totally did not believe in EA principles and did everything just for money and power is simplistic and false.
We will obviously never know the precise contents of SBF’s internal monologue. But it is conceivable that he thought he is doing everything only because of EA. Everyone is the hero of their own story.
But you cannot blindly trust your internal monologue. SBFs actions were probably shaped to a large extent by subconscious motivations. My best guess is that SBF might have been somewhat aware that he has ulterior motives but that he thought this is okay and that he is it all under control (“no one is perfect” “I’ll use my desires for power as additional motivational fuel”, etc.). Though it’s also possible that he thought of himself as practically a saint.
believing in EA probably explained a lot less variance than SBF’s idiosyncratic character traits (e.g., plausibly dark triad traits, especially narcissism and Machiavellianism which entail immense lust for power and fame, disregard of common-sense morality such as not lying, etc.)
In my experience a disproportionate numbers of EAs have dark triad traits, which is not surprising given that a disproportionate number of EAs are mainly in touch with their heads.
What makes this implausible for me is that SBF has been involved in EA since very early one (~2013 or earlier?). Back then, there was no money, power or fame to speak of, so why join this fringe movement?
To be clear, I think there were multiple causal factors, and believing in EA probably explained a lot less variance than SBF’s idiosyncratic character traits (e.g., plausibly dark triad traits, especially narcissism and Machiavellianism which entail immense lust for power and fame, disregard of common-sense morality such as not lying, etc.). I mean, there are like 10,000 EAs and I don’t know of anyone who has committed a serious crime because of EA.
A hypothetical human with the same personality traits as SBF but who doesn’t believe in EA, plausibly would have done pretty shady things as well. Unfortunately, it is possible that EA motivated SBF to amass even more power and money than otherwise. Also, EA provided SBF with a network of highly competent, motivated and trusting people.
I think conceiving of SBF as someone who totally did not believe in EA principles and did everything just for money and power is simplistic and false.
We will obviously never know the precise contents of SBF’s internal monologue. But it is conceivable that he thought he is doing everything only because of EA. Everyone is the hero of their own story.
But you cannot blindly trust your internal monologue. SBFs actions were probably shaped to a large extent by subconscious motivations. My best guess is that SBF might have been somewhat aware that he has ulterior motives but that he thought this is okay and that he is it all under control (“no one is perfect” “I’ll use my desires for power as additional motivational fuel”, etc.). Though it’s also possible that he thought of himself as practically a saint.
In my experience a disproportionate numbers of EAs have dark triad traits, which is not surprising given that a disproportionate number of EAs are mainly in touch with their heads.
Also wasn’t SBF’s plan to become a maths professor, and he changed his mind because of ETG arguments?