Very interesting reading list. It seems like an extra challenge to disentangle EA the philosophy from EA the "movement," but an interesting challenge. EA and existential risk from AI was a bit of a side challenge to a book I'm writing about generative AI and writing, but I ended up getting more interested in exploring than necessary for the book. I found myself sympathetic to some of the philosophy - I think I'm a soft consequentialist at heart - but increasingly skeptical of the movement, if that distinction makes sense. I'm pro rationality, but from what I could see about their stance on AI, they've taken leave of their senses relative to other existential risks.
The earn to give aspect of the movement also seems like an awfully thin rationale to become very rich and feel okay about it as long as you tithe. It's like the prosperity gospel for the rationalist community.
Syllabus makes me wish I was still in college and could be in a group of people kicking this stuff around.
Thanks! The AI stuff is interesting but, I agree at least for some cross-section of self-defined EAs, to be quite convenient rationalization. But I'm approaching all of this with an open mind, especially because I'm teaching it, the students have hardly been exposed to it, and I'm not sure what and how to think about it.
Very interesting reading list. It seems like an extra challenge to disentangle EA the philosophy from EA the "movement," but an interesting challenge. EA and existential risk from AI was a bit of a side challenge to a book I'm writing about generative AI and writing, but I ended up getting more interested in exploring than necessary for the book. I found myself sympathetic to some of the philosophy - I think I'm a soft consequentialist at heart - but increasingly skeptical of the movement, if that distinction makes sense. I'm pro rationality, but from what I could see about their stance on AI, they've taken leave of their senses relative to other existential risks.
The earn to give aspect of the movement also seems like an awfully thin rationale to become very rich and feel okay about it as long as you tithe. It's like the prosperity gospel for the rationalist community.
Syllabus makes me wish I was still in college and could be in a group of people kicking this stuff around.
P.S.: This podcast episode is a bit snarky, but underneath the critiques of EA made sense to me. https://pod.link/1544487624/episode/22f52bae6270a26d1ca342ef672355ea
Thanks! The AI stuff is interesting but, I agree at least for some cross-section of self-defined EAs, to be quite convenient rationalization. But I'm approaching all of this with an open mind, especially because I'm teaching it, the students have hardly been exposed to it, and I'm not sure what and how to think about it.
I am curious about the relation with running!
I fundraised for Oxfam at the 2014 Paris Marathon and The Humane League at the 2015 Philadelphia Marathon.
Ok, I understand. Thanks