studied Bioscience in Münster (focus on neuroscience, botany and genetics)
went to Bonn for an internship at the UN and decided international diplomatic work isn't for me
spent 6 months as teaching assistant for a botany course at the University in Münster
moved to Utrecht (NL) for my masters (Neuroscience, Ecology, Behaviour and Science Communication)
lived in Australia for 2 years for fun (hit me up for chats about van life, traveling on a budget and working at a winery)
landed in Freiburg i.Br. in Germany in 2018 and loving it so far
worked in the medical tech field for two years before starting to work for EAD in 2023
cause areas I personally regard important & interesting: global health & development, mental health, reducing extreme suffering, inclusion & equity, peacekeeping & improving democratic governance, improving institutional decision making, biorisks, EA community building
Thanks James for your post, I like that you tried to dissect the rather vague idea of "social change" a bit.
Do you agree that broadly speaking, EA is an attempt to bring about social change?
Yup
Is there something missing from the list of social change approaches I’ve described?
Not sure - there are very different ways of dividing aspects of social change, that class things as approaches to elicit personal, relational, cultural/knowledge & structural change. Have a look, but I think that framework is rather different from the one you used.
What do you think EA’s current social change portfolio is?
not sure - I don't think I have better overview than you.
What do you think it ought to be?
I generally agree with your idea here, I'd also like to see more engagement with other subgroups in the fields that EA moves into, and more influence on(new) organizations that are not EA. Reducing the networking aspect might also help resolve the problems we have with implicit and invisible hierarchies and power structures.
How should we inform the above decision? Historical case studies? Something else?
Check out examples of movements similar to EA that achieved their goals
If we want to be able to adapt to changes in morality, we might want to stick closer to movement support, as all other ways of influence tend to get rigid quickly
Thank you so much for writing this amazing, long, deep post. Thanks you for mustering up the strength to engage with the forum (even though it doesn't feel like a very safe space), and for speaking to the Times. As another woman, I wish it wasn't necessary, but it seemed to have been. I would love to see more of your writing, I think the other posts in your sequence could be super interesting and would hopefully inform many people in this community.
as EA moved from global health, to AI safety, the core EA principles remained the same, but the messaging changed.
I think that's the first time I've seen this written as clearly as here, and I don't really like it or agree. My impression is that there are many people attracted to EA not because of AIS, who also won't become interested in AIS/aren't the right fit for that field. If the money for community building comes mainly from an interest to attract more people into AIS (as it sounds here), and is mainly intended for that, why keep funding EA in general? I would welcome more nuanced portrayals what EA community building aims to support, like facilitating other types of longtermist career changes, creating an intellectual community motivated by similar moral goals, and supporting people who have changed their careers to stick with their paths.
On the last, and in line with what Elisabeth pointed to: I also get the impression that you forget to mention the value of community for keeping strong values, and sticking to your plan. Especially if you move in a work culture that incentivizes very different values than what EAs tend to value. Having a community of like-minded people with similar core values is important for those who won't change careers anymore, but want to stick to the highly impactful ones they have chosen to pursue. The value of community to them comes from helping them stick to their path.
"Lastly, I find sexual abuse to be distinctly disturbing in that it's a perversion of something that's supposed to be enjoyable, an act of trust, and a celebration of life."
THIS. Like looking forward to eating your favorite dessert, and the moment you take a bite, it tastes like vomit.
Thanks for writing this! The way you approached your situation reminds me of how I approached similar issues in the past, with the help of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy student counselor. Tracking when I was feeling bad helped me so much correlate it to what I was doing or not doing during those times.
One thing that stood out to me here was the phrase "wasting you time" - I think way too often do we feel like that is what is going on, when actually, our brain/body is just resting.
A funny/useful term for that is "burn on" - when you really like your work/hobbies/duties, but just don't give yourself a break and grind yourself to the bone as a consequence.
Hi Imma, so sad that you find yourself struggling after attending a conference, and at the same time very relatable. It reminds me a little with how people struggle in the days after attending a festival. Not that you need this, but I think your plan to take some days off and decompress is great. Something that helped me was to have some other EAs around in the days after the conference to talk to. I find that it helps me evaluate and integrate what I've learned.
Thanks James for your post, I like that you tried to dissect the rather vague idea of "social change" a bit.
Thank you so much for writing this amazing, long, deep post. Thanks you for mustering up the strength to engage with the forum (even though it doesn't feel like a very safe space), and for speaking to the Times. As another woman, I wish it wasn't necessary, but it seemed to have been.
I would love to see more of your writing, I think the other posts in your sequence could be super interesting and would hopefully inform many people in this community.
Ah, good to know! :)
I think that's the first time I've seen this written as clearly as here, and I don't really like it or agree. My impression is that there are many people attracted to EA not because of AIS, who also won't become interested in AIS/aren't the right fit for that field. If the money for community building comes mainly from an interest to attract more people into AIS (as it sounds here), and is mainly intended for that, why keep funding EA in general? I would welcome more nuanced portrayals what EA community building aims to support, like facilitating other types of longtermist career changes, creating an intellectual community motivated by similar moral goals, and supporting people who have changed their careers to stick with their paths.
On the last, and in line with what Elisabeth pointed to: I also get the impression that you forget to mention the value of community for keeping strong values, and sticking to your plan. Especially if you move in a work culture that incentivizes very different values than what EAs tend to value. Having a community of like-minded people with similar core values is important for those who won't change careers anymore, but want to stick to the highly impactful ones they have chosen to pursue. The value of community to them comes from helping them stick to their path.
(Her post ... this is Habiba)
"Lastly, I find sexual abuse to be distinctly disturbing in that it's a perversion of something that's supposed to be enjoyable, an act of trust, and a celebration of life."
THIS. Like looking forward to eating your favorite dessert, and the moment you take a bite, it tastes like vomit.
Awesome and valuable work, thanks a lot!
Thanks for writing this!
The way you approached your situation reminds me of how I approached similar issues in the past, with the help of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy student counselor. Tracking when I was feeling bad helped me so much correlate it to what I was doing or not doing during those times.
One thing that stood out to me here was the phrase "wasting you time" - I think way too often do we feel like that is what is going on, when actually, our brain/body is just resting.
A funny/useful term for that is "burn on" - when you really like your work/hobbies/duties, but just don't give yourself a break and grind yourself to the bone as a consequence.
Hi Imma,
so sad that you find yourself struggling after attending a conference, and at the same time very relatable. It reminds me a little with how people struggle in the days after attending a festival.
Not that you need this, but I think your plan to take some days off and decompress is great. Something that helped me was to have some other EAs around in the days after the conference to talk to. I find that it helps me evaluate and integrate what I've learned.