Thanks for taking the time to try and explain. I'm really surprised at your description of my comment, however. In fact I'm so surprised that I wonder if my comment was badly misunderstood. Did people think that by saying "it might make Labour supporters seem more intellectual" that I was saying "Labour supporters are/seem stupid"? I didn't mean that at all. I've voted Labour in the last two general elections.
Or was there something else in my comment that seemed antagonistic?
No, I don't think it seemed anti-Labour. I just think anyone who's not super committed to consequentialism is going to be uncomfortable with this:
"While it's true that these vulnerabilities might eventually be closed, it might still be good to exploit them while they're open."
A lot of people who are involved in EA just don't ever want to "exploit vulnerabilities" in well-meaning groups of people (which you suggested might be a good idea depending on the consequences)
I agree that this strategy goes against the spirit of party membership, and I'm sympathetic to norm-subscription in a lot of contexts. But are norms a weightier consideration than the reasons for taking up the strategy outlined by OP? While it's true that these vulnerabilities might eventually be closed, it might still be good to exploit them while they're open.
To what extent do you think the relatively small numbers of EAs taking advantage of this strategy will sow mistrust? To me it doesn't seem like it will make a lot of difference, and indeed there mig
...1) The winner of the last lottery, Tim, wrote several paragraphs explaining his choice of where to send the winnings. Is this required/expected of future winners? I can understand that a winner selecting a non-EA cause might end up having to convince CEA of their decision, but if I win and just want to give the money to a bona fide EA cause, do I have to say anything about my thought process?
2) Are there advocacy-related reasons for donating directly to charities instead of joining such a lottery? For example, if I'm trying to increase my impact by convinc...
Thanks for taking the time to think and write about how we can reduce the risk of getting ill. I think it's fair to say that this advice is a bit more alarming than what other organizations are saying, like the Centers for Disease Control, the National Health Service, the World Health Organization, and the UK Foreign Office. For example, NHS.uk says that you don't need to self isolate unless you are feeling unwell and have been to one of the listed countries recently, and they also say that even if you are self isolating, it is ok to accept food drop-offs.
... (read more)Yeah, its an obvious tension. I'm not sure I can satisfactorily resolve it from the perspective of appealing to authority. My advice is based on first principles and aggregating the thoughts of other people who are primarily thinking from first principles. The first principle argument goes like this:
1. It is very unlikely that this disease will be contained in western countries. The CDC apparently agrees with this for the United States.
2. Medical countermeasures are unlikely to be widely available this year. There is some chance that the virus will st... (read more)