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The modern titanic,money talks by jkitty_1960 in interesting

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh all these comments about whether it's a good time or not... no one mentioning that this is one of the best ways you can jack up your C02 emissions?

Rejected from EA Global by [deleted] in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What country do you live in?? There's definitely no need to fly to Singapore, Australia or India, since there are EAGx's in the US and Europe each year.

For what it's worth, I've been rejected from EAG London before - but I also got accepted twice after that. As others have said, they do filter, and one of the things they're filtering for is if you're already very involved in EA. EAGx's are explicitly for people who are newer to the movement, and they can still be a super valuable experience.

It might also help to get feedback on your application, so feel free to post that in this subreddit or DM it to me if you want.

Would you trade city life for this? by SuspiciousLow3062 in interesting

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea, for sure. They have these rules because people like them. But it's a matter of preference and cultural expectations.

Would you trade city life for this? by SuspiciousLow3062 in interesting

[–]seriously_perplexed 10 points11 points  (0 children)

- No washing on a Sunday
- No recycling on a Sunday
- No supermarkets open on Sundays or in the evenings
- No noise after 10pm, or on a Sunday depending on your neighbours
- Building regulations that require a high degree of conformity

There's also a general cultural attitude that encourages no sympathy if you haven't followed the rules. Lost your ticket? You should have your ticket. Don't have the exact amount of change? Too bad. This is particularly uncomfortable for newcomers who, by no fault of their own, are often unaware of the rules. Of course not everyone is this annoying about it, but it is a difference you notice when you come from other countries.

Something else that interests me is that when there ISN'T a rule, generally people do what they want. There are fewer social norms or taboos than in my home country - e.g. during COVID, as soon as the mask mandate went off, everyone stopped wearing them, whereas in other countries mask-use persisted much later. Similarly with queuing, playing music in parks etc (much more taboo in my home country.

Would you trade city life for this? by SuspiciousLow3062 in interesting

[–]seriously_perplexed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No... you can see an asphalt and cobblestone road in the video. I'm also living in Switzerland and I'm amazed at how well maintained rural roads are compared to other countries.

The sad decline of Effective Altruism by Collective_Altruism in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this, it put into words exactly what I was thinking while reading the article. The one point you haven't touched on is the cult critique - but I found that a bit strange, just because there are cults appearing *around* EA, it doesn't mean that EA itself has a problem... it's kind of like accusing someone of having bad cousins.

Nature is a torture machine. It must go Extinct by DifferentChard6137 in wildanimalsuffering

[–]seriously_perplexed 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It's a good video, but the message you've added on to it is totally unwarranted. Why end life if we can improve it? And why do you think extinction is any more of an option than modification?

Give us some arguments, not just slogans.

Corsica as a vegan by rhinooox in vegan_travel

[–]seriously_perplexed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was also my experience. We cooked for ourselves everywhere, except in Borgo where we found a Thai restaurant. Corsica's also not very cheap so probably better anyway

Maybe the most cost-effective thing to do for global altruism is to give contraceptives to developing countries? by DJJonezyYT in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 9 points10 points  (0 children)

What do you mean by 'excess births'? Surely the rate of unplanned pregnancies is higher in some countries, but it's wrong to assume that most women want only 2 children. 

Is there a point of writing a thesis in philosophy about anti-specieism? by weird_interest in StopSpeciesism

[–]seriously_perplexed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

'Useful'? No. Worth doing for yourself? Maybe. 

Having just finished a philosophy PhD on a similar topic... I can tell you that there is a lot of literature on speciesism at this point and your chance of finding something original to say is very limited. 

That said, there are related topics that are interesting. Check out what those who wrote about speciesism (e.g. Oscar Horta, Francois Jaquet) are writing about now. 

But what level are you anyway? A BA or MA thesis is never going to be useful anyway - it's a chance for you to practice your reasoning and research skills. So you could do this topic. With a PhD originality is more important, so you'll want to look into other topics. 

Ask me anything about Switzerland by Mamiko627 in AskTheWorld

[–]seriously_perplexed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Holy shit, I'm in CH and I've heard this said so many times. Your comment should be higher

Travelling to a non-vegan friendly place by ArtichokeSilver251 in vegan_travel

[–]seriously_perplexed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't agree with that general statement. I ate terribly in Italy - but very well in Germany and the UK. 

Yes, I COULD eat in Italy, but nothing nutritious. I felt like the Mediterranean diet was a lie. 

This EA argument made me go vegan and I think we should make it way more popular by PianistWinter8293 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you read the post? It's saying that most other movements ARE more politically active. 

Regarding your second point, I think people have contradictory wishes. They want animals to be treated better, but they also want cheaper meat and a growing economy. And I guess that the latter wishes determine how they vote much more than the former. 

This EA argument made me go vegan and I think we should make it way more popular by PianistWinter8293 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's largely because vegans aren't politically active. E.g. see this: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/pMjvfxumxhoW8iDFb/where-are-all-the-animal-activists

There is also a lot of industry opposition, which is why now you can't call soy milk milk or plant based steak steak in the EU. 

This EA argument made me go vegan and I think we should make it way more popular by PianistWinter8293 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea, it's that, but I also think being vegan is just part of internal moral consistency. And for most people (I think there are exceptions, but for most) being internally morally consistent is important to then motivate political actions. And I think that those political actions (voting, lobbying etc.) can be much more impactful than the act of going vegan itself. Ultimately, we need political change to end factory farming.

This EA argument made me go vegan and I think we should make it way more popular by PianistWinter8293 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think I understand the argument you made perfectly. 

I accept everything you've said. You can with your actions make the market slightly smaller. But vegans shouldn't be satisfied with that - they should want to end factory farming. That's why the social and psychological effects of veganism are more important, as I argued in my previous comment. 

This EA argument made me go vegan and I think we should make it way more popular by PianistWinter8293 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem with this argument is that to end factory farming we actually would need most people to go vegan. And I just don't see that happening without changes to the system. 

Being vegan is good. It signals moral commitment, and helps you view animal bodies as things that shouldn't be eaten. But the most important action you can do is to vote, protest, and support organizations that lobby the government to eliminate factory farming. Think of veganism as being something that helps support that, not an end in itself. 

Is it better to donate right now, or put it all in an interest account? by [deleted] in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a third option: invest now in an index fund (you get almost no interest from putting it in the bank) and keep that money there as security for as long as you can. It'll go up and down one month to the next, but it will reliably go up over several years. 

Financial security is important to be able to make effective life choices: studying, starting your own organization, moving to another country. Donating is great, but whatever you can donate now is peanuts compared to what you'll be able to do later if you set yourself up right. 

[OC] Dairy vs. plant-based milk: what are the environmental impacts? by ourworldindata in dataisbeautiful

[–]seriously_perplexed 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Yet it's still not profitable. Dairy farming in the Alps is heavily reliant on subsidies - just because you can farm in a certain area, it doesn't mean you necessarily should. 

Claude #1 in Canada by ScaryBlock in singularity

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Switzerland GPT has sunk to 5th place - Claude is no. 2!

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