SaxophonesAndViolets comments on Celebrating All Who Are in Effective Altruism - Less Wrong

21 Post author: Gleb_Tsipursky 20 January 2016 01:31AM

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Comment author: Viliam 20 January 2016 03:14:35PM *  2 points [-]

I wouldn't judge anyone for donating more or less per se. It's just weird to hear people describe themselves as "effective altruists" if their current level is "actually, as a student I don't have any income, so I never really donated anything, but a few years later I am totally going to donate". It makes you wonder how large is exactly the set of effective altruists who have already donated at least one cent. Also, it cheapens the meaning of the words.

Perhaps mathematically speaking, the difference between donating 0 and donating 1 is much smaller than between donating 1 and donating 1000. But psychologically it is probably the other way round. The person who has already donated $1 to a GiveWell charity has already overcome the trivial inconveniences; all that is necessary is to repeat the same steps again with a different number. But the difference between 0 and 1 is the difference between "all talk, no action" and making the first step.

Hardcore EAs -- awesome; softcore EAs -- still very good; zerocore EAs -- please stop using the label.

I wonder what is the real distribution among people who publicly identify as EAs.

Maybe there could be some verification system, like a website that would publicly certify that you have donated at least $1 to an effective charity. (Or maybe multiple tiers, but this is already more or less what James_Miller suggested. Just saying that the minimal amount could be small, but definitely nonzero.)

Comment author: SaxophonesAndViolets 20 January 2016 10:53:25PM 2 points [-]

On one hand, I agree at least somewhat about the importance of preventing free riders. On the other hand, claiming that someone isn't a "real" effective altruist makes them believe they're less of an effective altruist, which makes them less committed to the cause. Conversely, every time a non-donating EA proclaims their EAness, it becomes a more integral part of their identity, raising their level of commitment to donating when they get income.

Comment author: Viliam 21 January 2016 08:39:58AM 0 points [-]

Wouldn't donating a symbolic dollar create even stronger psychological effect?

Comment author: ChristianKl 21 January 2016 09:18:27AM 2 points [-]

EA as a movement is about the idea that charity is not about engaging in symbolic actions but about actually having an effect.

Comment author: Viliam 21 January 2016 02:47:03PM 0 points [-]

Then people who don't donate at all shouldn't describe themselves as effective altruists.

They are aspiring effective altruists; they plan to donate in the future, but they may also change their minds later. Talk is cheap.

Comment author: SaxophonesAndViolets 22 January 2016 03:16:24AM *  0 points [-]

Only if they actually do it. It seems to follow that anyone willing to donate a symbolic dollar is already fairly likely to stay the course and therefore a low-priority target, whereas the people who wouldn't donate the symbolic dollar are also the easiest to alienate.