that someone is interested in cryonics is very strong Bayesian evidence that they’ll be easier than average to persuade to donate to SIAI.
That is it! That is what bothers me about Eliezer’s advocacy of cryonics, which I will grant is no more deserving of reproach than most personal expenditures. IIUC, his livelihood depends on donations to the SIAI. Someone once quipped that it is impossible to convince a man of the corrrectness of some proposition if his livelihood depends on his not believing it. Sometimes I worry that his enthusiasm for cryonics is a sign that his dependency on donations will bias his judgement on important things, not just cryonics. It would reassure me if singularitarian leaders had secure incomes that derive from a source that does not depend on the opinions and perceptions of prospective donors. Proposed solution: Eliezer continues to solicit donations but makes it clear that he reserves the right to spend them in any way he likes, e.g., meditating in a monastery for a year or starting a family. I.e. he changes his pitch to, “I deserve your support because I have demonstrated that I am an exceptionally altruistic, hard-working and intelligent man, and am likely to continue to contribute significantly to our civilization. Also, he is blinded to the identity of the donors so as not to be preferentially influenced by any public statements the donors might make.
that someone is interested in cryonics is very strong Bayesian evidence that they’ll be easier than average to persuade to donate to SIAI.
That is it! That is what bothers me about Eliezer’s advocacy of cryonics, which I will grant is no more deserving of reproach than most personal expenditures. IIUC, his livelihood depends on donations to the SIAI. Someone once quipped that it is impossible to convince a man of the corrrectness of some proposition if his livelihood depends on his not believing it. Sometimes I worry that his enthusiasm for cryonics is a sign that his dependency on donations will bias his judgement on important things, not just cryonics. It would reassure me if singularitarian leaders had secure incomes that derive from a source that does not depend on the opinions and perceptions of prospective donors. Proposed solution: Eliezer continues to solicit donations but makes it clear that he reserves the right to spend them in any way he likes, e.g., meditating in a monastery for a year or starting a family. I.e. he changes his pitch to, “I deserve your support because I have demonstrated that I am an exceptionally altruistic, hard-working and intelligent man, and am likely to continue to contribute significantly to our civilization. Also, he is blinded to the identity of the donors so as not to be preferentially influenced by any public statements the donors might make.