I worry a bit that the way EAs communicate/market their ideas might be putting off a much larger segment of the population that relies largely on what Singer calls “emotional empathy” when making altruistic decisions.
I think it would be worthwhile to:
(1) look very carefully at the anti-EA hit pieces that occasionally pop up and try to understand the motivations/concerns behind the (usually not very well-argued) criticisms of EA;
(2) experiment with pitches similar to those employed by very popular and well-funded mainstream charities.
Speaking very broadly, EAs seem to have two main goals: getting more people to redirect their donations to more effective charities, and getting more people to donate more of their resources to charity. I think pushing both goals simultaneously is likely making EA unpalatable to most typical people, who might be receptive to moving their $20-50/month elsewhere but don’t want to be measured against someone who’s donating 10% of their earnings.
Meanwhile, we should be able to appeal to the high-empathy people who are probably feeling fairly lonely in their conviction. When I’ve mentioned my intention to go forward with a non-directed kidney donation, more people have questioned my sanity than have reacted positively.
I’ve heard from several of my friends that EA is frequently introduced to them in a way that seems elitist and moralizing. I was wondering if there was any data on how many people learned about it through which sources. One possibility that came up was running tv/radio/internet ads for it (in a more gentle, non-elitist manner), in the hopes that the outreach and potentially recruited donors would more than pay back the original cost. Thoughts?
Speaking very broadly, EAs seem to have two main goals: getting more people to redirect their donations to more effective charities, and getting more people to donate more of their resources to charity.
There are multiple effective paths to impact, and only some of these involve making or giving money. I think it’s important to be clear about this: there are already critiques of the EA movement out there which foster this misconception (see e.g. the RationalWiki entry on EA), and this may be turning away people that would otherwise be receptive to our ideas.
That’s a good point. I don’t just think in terms of money when I talk about “donations” and “resources,” but there’s not really a very concise or clear way to talk about the very broad array of actions people can take that are consistent with EA goals.
I worry a bit that the way EAs communicate/market their ideas might be putting off a much larger segment of the population that relies largely on what Singer calls “emotional empathy” when making altruistic decisions.
I think it would be worthwhile to:
(1) look very carefully at the anti-EA hit pieces that occasionally pop up and try to understand the motivations/concerns behind the (usually not very well-argued) criticisms of EA;
(2) experiment with pitches similar to those employed by very popular and well-funded mainstream charities.
Speaking very broadly, EAs seem to have two main goals: getting more people to redirect their donations to more effective charities, and getting more people to donate more of their resources to charity. I think pushing both goals simultaneously is likely making EA unpalatable to most typical people, who might be receptive to moving their $20-50/month elsewhere but don’t want to be measured against someone who’s donating 10% of their earnings.
Meanwhile, we should be able to appeal to the high-empathy people who are probably feeling fairly lonely in their conviction. When I’ve mentioned my intention to go forward with a non-directed kidney donation, more people have questioned my sanity than have reacted positively.
I’ve heard from several of my friends that EA is frequently introduced to them in a way that seems elitist and moralizing. I was wondering if there was any data on how many people learned about it through which sources. One possibility that came up was running tv/radio/internet ads for it (in a more gentle, non-elitist manner), in the hopes that the outreach and potentially recruited donors would more than pay back the original cost. Thoughts?
I agree with what you say, except for this:
There are multiple effective paths to impact, and only some of these involve making or giving money. I think it’s important to be clear about this: there are already critiques of the EA movement out there which foster this misconception (see e.g. the RationalWiki entry on EA), and this may be turning away people that would otherwise be receptive to our ideas.
That’s a good point. I don’t just think in terms of money when I talk about “donations” and “resources,” but there’s not really a very concise or clear way to talk about the very broad array of actions people can take that are consistent with EA goals.