Mervin

Karma: 48

Mervin 6 Mar 2023 3:36 UTC
15 points
4 ∶ 0
in reply to: Xavier_ORourke’s comment on: Nick Bostrom should step down as Director of FHI
Relevant context is that FHI had a hiring freeze and was dying before the apology. And yes, it’s only FHI. There was some kind of cutting corners to avoid bureaucracy and the department got mad. It’s possible that with another leader FHI would be able to be rehabilitated in the department. Nobody can say for sure, but their best bet would be to go with someone willing to play by the book, and it would be odd for the department to have a grudge against new leadership.

Mervin 5 Mar 2023 15:49 UTC
16 points
6 ∶ 2
in reply to: Xavier_ORourke’s comment on: Nick Bostrom should step down as Director of FHI
FHI and GPI have different aims. I think the better comparison would be FHI today vs. what FHI could be. Or FHI today vs. FHI before things went to pot.

All the people I know who have recently worked at/work at FHI want him to step down, they just are uncomfortable saying so directly. I agree that this is not a good place to raise the issue, but I’m not sure where is, given that. I hope this thread emboldens others to have a frank conversation, and it’s possibly helpful to have information out there. I would really like FHI to survive, and it sounds like it could if he stepped down.

Mervin 5 Mar 2023 15:34 UTC
20 points
8 ∶ 2
on: Nick Bostrom should step down as Director of FHI
1. FHI is dying under Nick Bostrom. It doesn’t matter if you think he’s done good work as director before. The dispute with the faculty means that either he goes or FHI goes, for all intents and purposes. FHI is down to a handful of people and the university makes it hard for them to hire or renew contracts, de facto sunsetting the organization.
2. That said, this post is sadly perhaps counterproductive, because according to several people Nick might otherwise consider stepping down but in the wake of the apology this has become less likely.
It frustrates me that a lot of the comments appear to be based on “vibes”. This is not a referendum on the apology nor about whether you generally like the work FHI has produced.

No matter whether he was the only person who could have led FHI so well before, at this point he should step down before FHI goes completely defunct. I don’t think it would make him look bad to step down. I think it looks bad for him to stay at the expense of FHI. There is not another place like FHI in the world, and it would be really bad for it to shut down, or even for it to hobble along as a shell of its former self.