It’s possible I’m wrong. I find it unlikely that veganism wasn’t influenced by existing political arguments for veganism. I find it unlikely that a focus on institutional decision making wasn’t influenced by existing political zeitgist around the problems with democracy and capitalism. I find it unlikely that the global poverty focus wasn’t influenced by the existing political zeitgeist around inequality.
All this stuff is in the water supply, the arguments and positions have been refined by different political parties moral intuitions and battle with the opposition. This causes problems when there’s opposition to EA values, sure, but it also provides the backdrop from which EAs are reasoning from.
It may be that EAs have somehow thrown off all of the existing arguments, cultural milleu, and basic stances and assumptions that have been honed for the past few generations, but that to me represents more of a failure of EA if true than anything else.
I find it unlikely that veganism wasn’t influenced by existing political arguments for veganism.
I find it obvious. What political arguments for veganism even exist? That it causes climate change? Yet EAs give more attention to the suffering impacts than to the climate impacts.
I find it unlikely that a focus on institutional decision making wasn’t influenced by existing political zeitgist around the problems with democracy and capitalism.
The mere idea that “there are problems with democracy and capitalism” is relatively widespread, not unique to leftism, and therefore doesn’t detract from my point that relatively moderate positions (which frequently acknowledge problems with democracy and capitalism) have better impacts on EA than extreme ones. The leftist zeitgeist is notably different and even contradictory with what EAs have put forward, as noted above.
I find it unlikely that the global poverty focus wasn’t influenced by the existing political zeitgeist around inequality.
People have focused on poverty as a target of charity for millennia, and people who worry about inequality (as opposed to worrying about poverty) are more stubborn towards EA ideas and demands.
it also provides the backdrop from which EAs are reasoning from.
There is an opportunity cost in not having a better backdrop. Even in a backdrop of political apathy, there would not be less information and less ideas (broadly construed) in the public sphere, just different ones and presented differently.
It’s possible I’m wrong. I find it unlikely that veganism wasn’t influenced by existing political arguments for veganism. I find it unlikely that a focus on institutional decision making wasn’t influenced by existing political zeitgist around the problems with democracy and capitalism. I find it unlikely that the global poverty focus wasn’t influenced by the existing political zeitgeist around inequality.
All this stuff is in the water supply, the arguments and positions have been refined by different political parties moral intuitions and battle with the opposition. This causes problems when there’s opposition to EA values, sure, but it also provides the backdrop from which EAs are reasoning from.
It may be that EAs have somehow thrown off all of the existing arguments, cultural milleu, and basic stances and assumptions that have been honed for the past few generations, but that to me represents more of a failure of EA if true than anything else.
I find it obvious. What political arguments for veganism even exist? That it causes climate change? Yet EAs give more attention to the suffering impacts than to the climate impacts.
The mere idea that “there are problems with democracy and capitalism” is relatively widespread, not unique to leftism, and therefore doesn’t detract from my point that relatively moderate positions (which frequently acknowledge problems with democracy and capitalism) have better impacts on EA than extreme ones. The leftist zeitgeist is notably different and even contradictory with what EAs have put forward, as noted above.
People have focused on poverty as a target of charity for millennia, and people who worry about inequality (as opposed to worrying about poverty) are more stubborn towards EA ideas and demands.
There is an opportunity cost in not having a better backdrop. Even in a backdrop of political apathy, there would not be less information and less ideas (broadly construed) in the public sphere, just different ones and presented differently.
Seems plausible.