Sam has engaged with EA ideas early on and shown a deep understanding and even obsession with them long before it would have given him massive benefits to associate with EA. So, I think your point is almost certainly false, but it could’ve been true in a similar situation, and that’s really important to be aware of.
I don’t think this changes anything. It’s still possible for someone with EA motivations to have dark triad traits, so I wouldn’t say “he was motivated by EA principles” implies that the same thing could’ve happened to almost anyone with EA principles. (What probably could’ve happened to more EAs is being complicit in the inner circle as lieutenants.)
“Feeling good about being a hero” is a motivation that people with dark triad traits can have just like anyone else. (The same goes for being deeply interested and obsessed with certain intellectual pursuits, like moral philosophy or applying utilitarianism to your life.) Let’s assume someone has a dark triad personality. I model people like that as the same as a more neurotypical person except that they:
Feel the same way I feel about people I find annoying and unsympathetic about 99.9-100% of people.
Don’t have any system-1 fear of bad consequences. Don’t have any worries related to things like guilt or shame (or maybe do have issues around shame but it expresses itself more in externalizing negative emotions like jealousy, spite).
Find it uncannily easy to move on from close relationships or shut empathy on and off at will as circumstances change regarding what’s advantageous for them (if they ever form closer connections in the first place).
There are more factors that are different, but with some of the factors you wonder if they’re just consequences of the above. For instance, being power-hungry: if you can’t find meaning in close relationships, what else is there to do? Or habitual lying: if you find nearly everyone unsympathetic and annoying and you don’t experience the emotion of guilt, you probably find it easier (and more pleasant) to lie.
In short, I think people with dark triad traits lack a bunch of prosocial system-1 stuff, but they can totally aim to pursue system-2 goals like “wanting to be a hero” like anyone else.
(Maybe this is obvious, but sometimes I hear people say “I can’t imagine that he isn’t serious about EA” as though it makes other things about someone’s character impossible, which is not true.)
SBF had sociopathic personality traits and was clearly motivated by EA principles. If you look at people who commit heinous acts in the name of just about any ideology, they will likely have sociopathic personality traits, but some ideologies can make it easier to justify taking sociopathic actions(and acquire resources/followers to do so).
Double-posted as an after thought and kept comments separate because they say separate things (so people can vote separately).
The type of view “I don’t think this changes anything” in the second comment is proactively replying to is this one:
(Maybe this is obvious, but sometimes I hear people say “I can’t imagine that he isn’t serious about EA” as though it makes other things about someone’s character impossible, which is not true.)
Sam has engaged with EA ideas early on and shown a deep understanding and even obsession with them long before it would have given him massive benefits to associate with EA. So, I think your point is almost certainly false, but it could’ve been true in a similar situation, and that’s really important to be aware of.
I don’t think this changes anything. It’s still possible for someone with EA motivations to have dark triad traits, so I wouldn’t say “he was motivated by EA principles” implies that the same thing could’ve happened to almost anyone with EA principles. (What probably could’ve happened to more EAs is being complicit in the inner circle as lieutenants.)
“Feeling good about being a hero” is a motivation that people with dark triad traits can have just like anyone else. (The same goes for being deeply interested and obsessed with certain intellectual pursuits, like moral philosophy or applying utilitarianism to your life.) Let’s assume someone has a dark triad personality. I model people like that as the same as a more neurotypical person except that they:
Feel the same way I feel about people I find annoying and unsympathetic about 99.9-100% of people.
Don’t have any system-1 fear of bad consequences. Don’t have any worries related to things like guilt or shame (or maybe do have issues around shame but it expresses itself more in externalizing negative emotions like jealousy, spite).
Find it uncannily easy to move on from close relationships or shut empathy on and off at will as circumstances change regarding what’s advantageous for them (if they ever form closer connections in the first place).
There are more factors that are different, but with some of the factors you wonder if they’re just consequences of the above. For instance, being power-hungry: if you can’t find meaning in close relationships, what else is there to do? Or habitual lying: if you find nearly everyone unsympathetic and annoying and you don’t experience the emotion of guilt, you probably find it easier (and more pleasant) to lie.
In short, I think people with dark triad traits lack a bunch of prosocial system-1 stuff, but they can totally aim to pursue system-2 goals like “wanting to be a hero” like anyone else.
(Maybe this is obvious, but sometimes I hear people say “I can’t imagine that he isn’t serious about EA” as though it makes other things about someone’s character impossible, which is not true.)
SBF had sociopathic personality traits and was clearly motivated by EA principles. If you look at people who commit heinous acts in the name of just about any ideology, they will likely have sociopathic personality traits, but some ideologies can make it easier to justify taking sociopathic actions(and acquire resources/followers to do so).
Who are you replying to?
Double-posted as an after thought and kept comments separate because they say separate things (so people can vote separately).
The type of view “I don’t think this changes anything” in the second comment is proactively replying to is this one: