Hi! I’m Kyle (they/them).
Along with Andy Masley (Executive Director), I help run Effective Altruism DC. I am also a qualitative researcher of nonviolent resistance methods.
Kyle J. Lucchese
Karma: 705
Thanks, Michael. Regarding the economists—yes, I think that is true.
I do, however, believe that we have other angles/perspectives/specializations that are less considered but might be valuable to consult. Essentially—subject matter experts are, understandably, highly influential in shaping these conversations, but their voices may be disproportionately valued. My next note asks questions in this vein.
More thoughts and questions that I am interested in exploring further (if you are too, please reach out):
How democratized is EA philanthropy? Should it be more or less so? How do we democratize it, if that is best?
How strong or weak are the feedback mechanisms in producing positive change in decisions (especially regarding how money is spent)?
Thanks for sharing this, Ben!
I see a lot of value in this model (assuming you successfully clarify that they are full employees, legally and otherwise), especially compared to the high level of contracting in the EA space. That said, I believe it might be beneficial to further evaluate the effects of having explicitly time-contingent employment.
I haven’t fully thought through the benefits/costs yet, but I wanted to share my initial thoughts and hopefully come back to discuss further.
Having helped several through their PMF process and as someone who studied and worked in the International Affairs field, I really appreciate this post. Thank you for all of the thought and time that went into the post, and for your support and encouragement for those who might apply!
Relatedly, as one of the EA DC organizers: If anyone is contemplating a move to DC—I am always happy to talk about life in DC and/or EA policy work more generally. Feel free to send me an email, add me, connect, or schedule a time to chat.
¡Esto es muy emocionante! ¡Felicitaciones a todos los involucrados!
Avíseme si puedo ayudar de alguna manera.
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This is SO exciting. Congratulations to all involved!
Please let me know if I can help in any way.
Hi Jeffrey,
We (EA DC) arranged a hotel room block at the centrally located Capital Hilton here in Washington, DC.
You can still book at a discounted rate by using this link.
There are only 26 rooms available so please book soon!
The full details are below:
EA Global DC Hotel Information:How to Book: Online Here
Dates: September 22 − 26 (With some availability as early as September 19 and as late as September 30)
Location: Capital Hilton
Rooms: All rooms are double beds with capacity for up to four guests.
Finding Roommates: If you are interested in sharing accommodations and costs, please feel free to coordinate that by using this spreadsheet or directly with those you know.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me here, on Slack, or via email.
It is exciting that the team is expanding to do even more good.
Thank you all for the work you have done and will continue to do!
It’s good to see that this is happening. I hope we will receive some updates after the Summit occurs.
I agree with Josh’s point and would like to expand on it a bit: I have noticed this same issue with other EA events—applications/admissions do not leave enough time for visa processing for people in many countries. I suspect some who would otherwise attend might be prevented from doing so for visa reasons alone, given the short notice.
Good luck and enjoy!
EA DC’s November Newsletter is out now!
If you aren’t already subscribed, you can do so here.
While this is all being sorted and we figure out what is next, I would like to emphasize wishes of wellness and care for the many impacted by this.
Note: The original post was edited to clarify the need for compassion and to remove anything resembling “tribalism,” including a comment of thanks, which may be referenced in comments.
Not wishing ill for people—particularly when harm (whether intentional or unintentional) occurs—is a central component of being compassionate. It is necessary to consider both those who have caused harm and those who are harmed, hence the phrasing of my original comment.
This is true. My original comment has been edited to clarify my intent (as was later mentioned in a reply). The reference to thanks did more to confuse than to support. My apologies for the confusion.
As for the allegations of large-scale fraud: Yes, you’re correct that the situation has evolved several times, hence the numerous rephrases. Though, I am currently uncertain regarding whether fraud actually occurred. That said, I certainly agree that we should hold people to a high standard of ethical conduct.
Sharmake—Erme is correct. The original comment was edited for clarity.
I agree that who we center matters. Thanks for the feedback! It helped me to clarify the original message.
Is it possible to include title and organization on name badges (ideally, this would be optional)?
Thanks for the research and write up, Joel. I will be participating in a Shigella vaccine challenge study at the beginning of February (I learned of this particular study through 1Day Sooner). If anyone has questions, let me know.
Book Post: The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism
A majority of the pieces are not written in academic form, even though most include citations from academic sources. The most obviously academic pieces are 9 by Adams, 15 by Sanbonmatsu, and 16 by Crary.
I would categorize the book as largely “normal”. It pulls from a group of writers whose backgrounds and writing styles vary.
The highest-level takeaways (not my own views, except when “I/I’d” is included”):
EA is missing relevant data due to its over-reliance on quantifiable data
Effective does not equal impactful
Lack of localized knowledge and interventions reduces sustainability, adoption (trust), and overall impact
The lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community produces worse outcomes and less impact. The same is said regarding considerations of [racial] justice.
EA neglects engagement with non-EA movements and actors; in addition to worse EA outcomes, it harms otherwise positive work. In short, EA undervalues solidarity.
I’d liken this to something along the lines of “EA doesn’t play nicely with the other kids in the sandbox”.
EA is too rigid and does not fair well in complex situations
EA lacks compassion/is cold, and though it is commonly argued this improves outcomes, it is more harmful than not
EA relies upon and reifies systems that may be causing disproportionate harm; it fails to consider that radical changes outside of its scope may be the most impactful
EA is an egotistical philosophy and community; it speaks and acts with certainty that it shouldn’t
Yes, a lot of the first volume focuses on animal welfare. Though this volume is focused on animal welfare, I do think many of the takeaways I included might be echoed by critics in other cause areas.
Some questions I believe need more attention/exploration/investment and would like to work with others on:
Is it possible to do the most good while retaining current systems (especially economic)? What in these systems needs to be transformed?
Intersections of religion and EA. Personally, I am most interested in exploring Buddhism and/or general mindfulness and EA.
Understanding how power moves into, within, and from the EA space.
What knowledge do we value? What types of knowledge and information are we missing? Whose voices are being ignored?