“okay, if this community taboos buying fuzzies rather than optimal philantropy [note: there’s a lot to unpack in that], then what’s to stop this community from sliding down the undesirable slope towards ultimately tabooing any nonessential personal spending?”
Just for reference it should be pointed out that people have already attacked people spending money on medicine or buying cryonics based on this reasoning on LW.
To be clear, you mean people have attacked others for investing in cryonics for themselves rather than, e.g., a GiveWell charity. All I have to say regarding that is that it’s been, as you say, attacked rather than tabooed, and that I think it should be attacked (or without the negative connotation of attack, ‘questioned’).
The issue of cryonics being a worthwhile expenditure is currently somewhat unclear, and I don’t see it being tabooed soon. Knowingly buying fuzzies (in the context of charity) over more optimal charity is clear.
To put in within my previous analogy, cryonics is on the slope towards driving a prius rather than a bike, and you’re more towards driving a hummer than a prius.
Just for reference it should be pointed out that people have already attacked people spending money on medicine or buying cryonics based on this reasoning on LW.
To be clear, you mean people have attacked others for investing in cryonics for themselves rather than, e.g., a GiveWell charity. All I have to say regarding that is that it’s been, as you say, attacked rather than tabooed, and that I think it should be attacked (or without the negative connotation of attack, ‘questioned’).
The issue of cryonics being a worthwhile expenditure is currently somewhat unclear, and I don’t see it being tabooed soon. Knowingly buying fuzzies (in the context of charity) over more optimal charity is clear.
To put in within my previous analogy, cryonics is on the slope towards driving a prius rather than a bike, and you’re more towards driving a hummer than a prius.