It sounds like AEF is doing a fantastic job of ensuring rigour in its messaging!
But we have to realize that when it comes to animal suffering, as far as I know ACE is the only game in town. In my opinion, this is a precarious state of affairs, and we should do our best to protect criticism of ACE, even when it does not come with the highest level of politeness.
I think in cases where there is little primary research, it’s all the more important to ensure that discourse remain not merely polite, but friendly and kind. Research isn’t easy at the best of times, and the animal space has a number of factors making it harder than others like global poverty (eg historic neglect and the difficulty of understanding experiences unlike our own). In cases like this where people are pushing ahead despite difficulty, it is all the more important to make sure that the work is actively appreciated, and at baseline that people do not end up feeling attacked simply for doing it. Criticisms that are framed badly can easily be worse than nothing, in leading those working in this area to think that their work isn’t useful and they should leave the area, and by dissuading others from joining the area in the first place.
This makes me all the more grateful to John for being so thoughtful in his feedback—suggesting improvements directly to ACE in the first instance, running a public piece by them before publishing, and for highlighting reasons for being optimistic as well as potential problems.
It sounds like AEF is doing a fantastic job of ensuring rigour in its messaging!
I think in cases where there is little primary research, it’s all the more important to ensure that discourse remain not merely polite, but friendly and kind. Research isn’t easy at the best of times, and the animal space has a number of factors making it harder than others like global poverty (eg historic neglect and the difficulty of understanding experiences unlike our own). In cases like this where people are pushing ahead despite difficulty, it is all the more important to make sure that the work is actively appreciated, and at baseline that people do not end up feeling attacked simply for doing it. Criticisms that are framed badly can easily be worse than nothing, in leading those working in this area to think that their work isn’t useful and they should leave the area, and by dissuading others from joining the area in the first place.
This makes me all the more grateful to John for being so thoughtful in his feedback—suggesting improvements directly to ACE in the first instance, running a public piece by them before publishing, and for highlighting reasons for being optimistic as well as potential problems.