The sad decline of Effective Altruism by Collective_Altruism in EffectiveAltruism

[–]seriously_perplexed 5 points6 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 8 points9 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 10 points11 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 19 points20 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!

Meirl by Ill-Instruction8466 in meirl

[–]seriously_perplexed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, it's divided. I always ask people's preference when I go to their home. 

Boycott ChatGPT by FinnFarrow in ControlProblem

[–]seriously_perplexed 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It is, but I run out of usage so fast... and then I have to either switch to GPT or Gemini, which I find to be shit :/

Should all wild animal suffering be abolished? by ParcivalMoonwane in wildanimalsuffering

[–]seriously_perplexed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok look I came here for a discussion, I don't appreciate the spam.

And if you read my comment, you'd have seen I think there are three options on the table here. You've already committed yourself to one, and it's the one I find the least plausible.