Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 11 August 2009 01:55:16PM 1 point [-]

According to GiveWell, you can save the life of one African person for $200 - $1000.

How reliable is this information?

Comment author: ektimo 12 August 2009 01:13:47AM 1 point [-]

According to Peter Unger, it is more like one dollar:

First, a little bit about some of the horrors: During the next year, unless they're given oral rehydration therapy, several million children, in the poorest areas of the world, will die from - I kid you not - diarrhea. Indeed, according to the United States Committee for UNICEF, "diarrhea kills more children worldwide than any other cause." Next, a medium bit about some of the means: By sending in a modest sum to the U.S. Committee for UNICEF (or to CARE) and by earmarking the money for ORT, you can help prevent some of these children from dying. For, in very many instances, the net cost of giving this life-saving therapyis less than one dollar*

Even if this is true, I think it is still more important to spend money to reduce existential risks given that one of the factors is 6 billion + a much larger number for successive generations + humanity itself.

Comment author: Yvain 18 June 2009 04:05:44PM 14 points [-]

Can you give us some numbers? How long have you been doing this? What is your average day (better yet: yesterday) like?

I tried something like this when I was very young - middle school, maybe. I think the most embarrassing part was where I decided I would never have any interest in the opposite sex, because that would be a distraction. It lasted for about a week before I decided maybe there was something to this "being human" thing after all, and put it all down to childhood exuberance and never tried anything of that sort again.

...but if you can actually pull it off, you are my new hero.

Comment author: ektimo 18 June 2009 08:38:03PM 3 points [-]

Yvain, did you consider how much getting to the point of not having interest in the opposite sex would cost you and harm your ability to achieve your rational goals before abandoning that high standard? It sounds like you're confusing accepting your humanness as a factor of your current environment versus trying to achieve your goals given the reality in which you exist (which includes your own psychology and current location).

In response to You Are A Brain
Comment author: ektimo 10 May 2009 03:01:36AM 3 points [-]

Loved the gut example.

Comment author: ektimo 20 April 2009 05:25:12PM *  1 point [-]

If there was a message I could send back to my younger self this would be it. Plus that if it's hard, don't try to make it easier, just keep in mind that it's important. (By younger self, I mean 7-34 years old.)

Comment author: ektimo 16 April 2009 04:54:06PM *  6 points [-]
  • Name: Edwin Evans
  • Location: Silicon Valley, CA
  • Age: 35

I read the "Meaning of Life FAQ" by a previous version of Eliezer in 1999 when I was trying to write something similar, from a Pascal’s Wager angle (even a tiny possibility of objective value is what should determine your actions). I've been a financial supporter of the Organization That Can't Be Named and a huge fan of Eliezer's writings since that same time. After reading "Crisis of Faith" along with "Could Anything Be Right?" I finally gave up on objective value; the "light in the sky" died. Feeling my mind change was an emotional experience that lasted about two days.

This is seriously in need of updating, but here is my home page.

By the way, would using Google AdWords be a good way to draw people to 12 Virtues? Here is an example from the Google keyword tool:

  • Search phrase: how to be better
  • Cost per click: $0.05
  • Approximate volume per month: 33,100

[Edit: added basic info/clarification/formatting]

View more: Prev

Powered by Reddit Powered by Reddit