At the same time the degree of confidence that many posters have about their beliefs in the significance of Less Wrong and SIAI is unsettling to me. A number of posters write as though they’re sure that what Less Wrong and SIAI are doing are the most important things that any human could be doing. It seems very likely to me that what Less Wrong and SIAI are doing is not as nearly important (relative to other things) as such posters believe
I feel like an elephant in the room is the question of whether the reason that those of you who believe that Less Wrong and SIAI doing things of the highest level of importance is because you’re a part of these groups (*).
You know what… I’m going to come right out and say it.
A lot of people need their clergy. And after a decade of denial, I’m finally willing to admit it—I am one of those people.
The vast majority of people do not give their 10% tithe to their church because some rule in some “holy” book demands it. They don’t do it because they want a reward in heaven, or to avoid hell, or because their utility function assigns all such donated dollars 1.34 points of utility up to 10% of gross income.
They do it because they want their priests to kick more ass than the OTHER group’s priests. OUR priests have more money, more power, and more intellect and YOUR sorry-ass excuse for a holy-man. “My priest bad, cures cancer and mends bones; your priest weak, tell your priest to go home!”
So when I give money to the SIAI (or FHI or similar causes) I don’t do it because I necessarily think it’s the best/most important possible use of my fungible resources. I do it because I believe Eliezer & Co are the most like-me actors out there who can influence the future. I do it because of all the people out there with the ability to alter the flow of future events, their utility function is the closest to my own, and I don’t have the time/energy/talent to pursue my own interests directly. I want the future to look more like me, but I also want enough excess time/money to get hammered on the weekends while holding down an easy accounting job.
In short—I want to be able to just give a portion of my income to people I trust to be enough like me that they will further my goals simply by pursuing their own interests. Which is to say: I want to support my priests.
And my priests are Eliezer Yudkowsky and the SIAI fellows. I don’t believe they leach off of me, I feel they earn every bit of respect and funding they get. But that’s besides the point. The point is that even if the funds I gave were spent sub-optimally, I would STILL give them this money, simply because I want other people to see that MY priests are better taken care of than THEIR priests.
The vatican isn’t made out of gold because the pope is greedy, it’s made out of gold because the peasants demand that it be so. And frankly, I demand that the vatican be put to fucking shame when it compares itself us.
Standard Disclaimer, but really… some enthusiasm is needed to fight Azathoth.
Umm, while on some visceral level I can relate to this sentiment I still find it hugely inappropriate. Reality --> enthusiasm, not in reverse order, and I think not even a slight deviation from that pattern is permissible.
You know what… I’m going to come right out and say it.
A lot of people need their clergy. And after a decade of denial, I’m finally willing to admit it—I am one of those people.
The vast majority of people do not give their 10% tithe to their church because some rule in some “holy” book demands it. They don’t do it because they want a reward in heaven, or to avoid hell, or because their utility function assigns all such donated dollars 1.34 points of utility up to 10% of gross income.
They do it because they want their priests to kick more ass than the OTHER group’s priests. OUR priests have more money, more power, and more intellect and YOUR sorry-ass excuse for a holy-man. “My priest bad, cures cancer and mends bones; your priest weak, tell your priest to go home!”
So when I give money to the SIAI (or FHI or similar causes) I don’t do it because I necessarily think it’s the best/most important possible use of my fungible resources. I do it because I believe Eliezer & Co are the most like-me actors out there who can influence the future. I do it because of all the people out there with the ability to alter the flow of future events, their utility function is the closest to my own, and I don’t have the time/energy/talent to pursue my own interests directly. I want the future to look more like me, but I also want enough excess time/money to get hammered on the weekends while holding down an easy accounting job.
In short—I want to be able to just give a portion of my income to people I trust to be enough like me that they will further my goals simply by pursuing their own interests. Which is to say: I want to support my priests.
And my priests are Eliezer Yudkowsky and the SIAI fellows. I don’t believe they leach off of me, I feel they earn every bit of respect and funding they get. But that’s besides the point. The point is that even if the funds I gave were spent sub-optimally, I would STILL give them this money, simply because I want other people to see that MY priests are better taken care of than THEIR priests.
The vatican isn’t made out of gold because the pope is greedy, it’s made out of gold because the peasants demand that it be so. And frankly, I demand that the vatican be put to fucking shame when it compares itself us.
Standard Disclaimer, but really… some enthusiasm is needed to fight Azathoth.
Voted up for honesty.
Umm, while on some visceral level I can relate to this sentiment I still find it hugely inappropriate. Reality --> enthusiasm, not in reverse order, and I think not even a slight deviation from that pattern is permissible.