Thanks a lot that makes sense, this comment no longer stands after the edits so have retracted really appreciate the clarification!
(I’m not sure its intentional, but this comes across as patronizing to global health folks. Saying folks “don’t want to do this kind of thinking” is both harsh and wrong. It seems like you suggest that “more thinking” automatically leads people down the path of “more important” things than global health, which is absurd.
Plenty of people have done plenty of thinking through an EA lens and decided that bed nets are a great place to spend lots of money which is great.
Plenty of people have done plenty of thinking through an EA lens and decided to focus on other things which is great.
One group might be right and the other might be wrong, but it is far from obvious or clear, and the differences of opinion certainly don’t come from a lack of thought.
I think it helps to be kind and give folks the benefit of the doubt.)
I think you’re right that my original comment was rude; I apologize. I edited my comment a bit.
I didn’t mean to say that the global poverty EAs aren’t interested in detailed thinking about how to do good; they definitely are, as demonstrated e.g. by GiveWell’s meticulous reasoning. I’ve edited my comment to make it less sound like I’m saying that the global poverty EAs are dumb or uninterested in thinking.
But I do stand by the claim that you’ll understand EA better if you think of “promote AMF” and “try to reduce AI x-risk” as results of two fairly different reasoning processes, rather than as results of the same reasoning process. Like, if you ask someone why they’re promoting AMF rather than e.g. insect suffering prevention, the answer usually isn’t “I thought really hard about insect suffering and decided that the math doesn’t work out”, it’s “I decided to (at least substantially) reject the reasoning process which leads to seriously considering prioritizing insect suffering over bednets”.
Nice one makes much more sense now, appreciate the change a lot :), have retracted my comment now (I think it can still be read, haven’t mastered the forum even after hundreds of comments...)
Thanks a lot that makes sense, this comment no longer stands after the edits so have retracted really appreciate the clarification!
(I’m not sure its intentional, but this comes across as patronizing to global health folks. Saying folks “don’t want to do this kind of thinking” is both harsh and wrong. It seems like you suggest that “more thinking” automatically leads people down the path of “more important” things than global health, which is absurd.
Plenty of people have done plenty of thinking through an EA lens and decided that bed nets are a great place to spend lots of money which is great.
Plenty of people have done plenty of thinking through an EA lens and decided to focus on other things which is great.
One group might be right and the other might be wrong, but it is far from obvious or clear, and the differences of opinion certainly don’t come from a lack of thought.
I think it helps to be kind and give folks the benefit of the doubt.)
I think you’re right that my original comment was rude; I apologize. I edited my comment a bit.
I didn’t mean to say that the global poverty EAs aren’t interested in detailed thinking about how to do good; they definitely are, as demonstrated e.g. by GiveWell’s meticulous reasoning. I’ve edited my comment to make it less sound like I’m saying that the global poverty EAs are dumb or uninterested in thinking.
But I do stand by the claim that you’ll understand EA better if you think of “promote AMF” and “try to reduce AI x-risk” as results of two fairly different reasoning processes, rather than as results of the same reasoning process. Like, if you ask someone why they’re promoting AMF rather than e.g. insect suffering prevention, the answer usually isn’t “I thought really hard about insect suffering and decided that the math doesn’t work out”, it’s “I decided to (at least substantially) reject the reasoning process which leads to seriously considering prioritizing insect suffering over bednets”.
(Another example of this is the “curse of cryonics”.)
Nice one makes much more sense now, appreciate the change a lot :), have retracted my comment now (I think it can still be read, haven’t mastered the forum even after hundreds of comments...)