Skeptic @lemmy.world PirateJesus @lemmy.today 2mo ago

Effective Altruism’s Bait-and-Switch: From Global Poverty To AI Doomerism

www.techdirt.com Effective Altruism’s Bait-and-Switch: From Global Poverty To AI Doomerism

The Effective Altruism movement Effective Altruism (EA) is typically explained as a philosophy that encourages individuals to do the “most good” with their resources (money, skills). Its “effective…

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Bullshit.

EAs are not lying about being interested in longtermism or x-risk mitigation, they're just not dumping that info on newcomers. They aren't pretending to help the global poor and sick for PR, they are actually helping the poor and sick and hoping it gives them leverage and legitimacy for their x-risk mitigation.
- Yes, they’re helping the sick and poor only so far as it increases their leverage and legitimacy to funnel money to issues that are not helping the sick and poor.
  
  In other words, a bait and switch.
  
  We shouldn't be looking to business to help the poor in the first place. That should be the government's job.
  
  No, they are helping the sick and poor, full stop.
  
  They aren't lying about their interest in AGI and they aren't collecting money under false pretenses and then spending it to slow AGI development somehow.
  
  That's not a bait and switch, it's an organization with multiple areas of interest.

9 comments