It happens pretty frequently in the x-risk community, and I think the non-x-risk EA community although I don’t keep as close tabs on it.
(I think the question is asked both in terms of literal research done, and infrastructure-that-needs-building. The infrastructure is a bit different from research that Hamming was pointed at, but I think fits more closely within Hamming’s original paradigm than the personal development CFAR framing. I think it is fair to generalize the Hamming Question to “in my field of expertise, where I can reasonably expect myself to have a deep understanding of the situation, what are the most important things that need doing, and should I be working on them?”)
(My estimate is that there is something on the order of 10-50 people asking the question in the literal research sense in EA space. That estimate is based on a few people literally saying “I asked myself what the most important problems were and how I could work on them”, and some reading between the lines of how other people seem to be approaching problems and talking about them)
It happens pretty frequently in the x-risk community, and I think the non-x-risk EA community although I don’t keep as close tabs on it.
(I think the question is asked both in terms of literal research done, and infrastructure-that-needs-building. The infrastructure is a bit different from research that Hamming was pointed at, but I think fits more closely within Hamming’s original paradigm than the personal development CFAR framing. I think it is fair to generalize the Hamming Question to “in my field of expertise, where I can reasonably expect myself to have a deep understanding of the situation, what are the most important things that need doing, and should I be working on them?”)
(My estimate is that there is something on the order of 10-50 people asking the question in the literal research sense in EA space. That estimate is based on a few people literally saying “I asked myself what the most important problems were and how I could work on them”, and some reading between the lines of how other people seem to be approaching problems and talking about them)