<
https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/effective-altruism-is-a-dangerous>
"Since 2022, I have spoken with a large number of journalists about Effective
Altruism and its Bay Area-sibling, Rationalism. For those new to the subject,
these communities constitute the “EA” and “R” in “TESCREAL,” which denotes a
constellation of overlapping ideologies that have become hugely influential
within Silicon Valley. Dr. Timnit Gebru and I argued last year that they are
largely responsible for launching and sustaining the ongoing race to build
superintelligent “God-like AI.” In what follows, I will focus primarily on EA,
though much of what I say applies just as well to Rationalism and other
TESCREAL ideologies.
Over and over again, these journalists asked me: “Is EA a cult?” Prior to 2022,
I would say that
aspects of this movement are cult-like. However, by the end
of 2022, my answer was an unambiguous: “Yes, EA is definitely a cult, with its
own doctrines and dogmas, charismatic leaders, jargon, and eschatological
narratives.” But I never got around to writing a comprehensive explanation of
why my answer changed. This article, in more than 8,000 words, provides that
explanation. My guess is that most people will agree with my view by the end of
this piece."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
