Mass_Driver comments on An Outside View on Less Wrong's Advice - Less Wrong

60 Post author: Mass_Driver 07 July 2011 04:46AM

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Comment author: Mass_Driver 03 July 2011 06:11:48AM 6 points [-]

Yes, of course. My argument isn't that Less Wrong should dissolve itself. If your inside view suggests that you have a good shot at a massive success in the medium-to-long term, and your outside view puts you in a reference class that includes some potential for big successes but many more failures, the thing to do is pursue the opportunity, but to do some humbly and carefully. Emphasize low-hanging fruit. Hedge. Warn. Some of us do those things, but others quit their jobs to work full-time for SIAI and then urge their friends to do the same. I'll try to make this clearer in the next version.

Comment author: Gabriel 03 July 2011 03:22:09PM 4 points [-]

Some of us do those things, but others quit their jobs to work full-time for SIAI and then urge their friends to do the same.

This behaviour of SIAI employees is extremely surprising. Please provide details.

Comment author: Rain 05 July 2011 07:21:20PM *  8 points [-]

The US Peace Corps prompted over 200,000 people to do something I consider even more extreme by committing to multiple years of service in foreign countries for very modest goals. I'd be surprised if something like Existential Risk didn't provoke such a reaction.

Comment author: atucker 03 July 2011 06:18:12AM 2 points [-]

Ah.

Yeah, looks like we pretty much agree then about what to do then.

I'm considering trying to work for SIAI in the future though, but I also don't have an established job or lifestyle so the costs of doing so are fairly low for me. To the extent that my pre-LW heuristic for deciding what I'd like to do with my life was mostly based on what I'd find interesting, that's not too huge of a disruption for me.