Are there any other key questions surrounding this debacle that I’m missing?
Ability for Public Figures to Repent?
- Seems important over a span of time for a functioning society
- Relevant that this happened once 25+ years ago and no pattern of behavior
- Nobody seems to be questioning whether the initial email was wrong to send
Should Bostrom’s email/apology reflect negatively on EA?
- Yes from a Bayesian mindset, but very slightly
- Depends in part on whether one should disassociate Bostrom’s broader ideas on Longtermism / AI Alignment from his actions 26 years ago—seems reasonable
Does EA’s response reflect negatively on EA?
- Depends on if you want EA to have a “strong view” towards these questions; if so, you should probably update negatively on EA regardless since there have been a variety of responses
- If you prefer EA to have a diversity of viewpoint (seems reasonable) then maybe positive update on EA
What else should have been included in Bostrom’s apology?
- More explicit language around group intelligence differences? (what if he doesn’t feel certain on that / doesn’t want to lean into an Info-Hazerdous-if-True topic?)
- More empathy in tone? Seems like a solid criticism—what specifically ought to have been included? (And are we being welcoming to the neuro-divergent?)
Ought someone to convince themselves against “Info-Hazerdous if True” beliefs?
- Epistemic integrity (seems unhealthy)
- Relative benefits of 10-foot pole position (easier to not talk about it vs showing certainty?)
Ought someone to discuss “Info-Hazerdous if True” beliefs?
- But doesn’t that give extremists free reign over ideas?
- Seems like empirically it works alright to just not feed the fire? (do conspiracy theories/extremism disagree?)
Does this forecast future bad actions from Bostrom?
- Likely not—would look to his pattern over last 25 years
- Prediction markets seem to have faith in Bostrom
Yes I believe that would be covered in my 4th point—“what else should have been included in Bostrom’s apology”. I suppose it could be rephrased: “what else should have been included/excluded in Bostrom’s apology”, and one could argue he should exclude the latter paragraphs from his apology.