Category: Epistemics
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Epistemics (Part 8: Two types of decoupling)
This post distinguishes two types of decoupling: truth decoupling and harm decoupling. Truth decoupling is a fine practice. Harm decoupling is not.
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Epistemics (Part 7: Authority)
At times, effective altruists show strong regard for scientific, scholarly and journalistic authority. But sometimes they do not.
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Epistemics: (Part 6: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence)
Extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidence, but that evidence is not always provided. I look at two examples of extraordinary claims based on rather less than extraordinary evidence, then draw lessons from this discussion.
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Epistemics: (Part 5: The value of cost-effectiveness analysis)
The declining role of cost-effectiveness analysis comes with significant practical, symbolic, philosophical, and leadership-based costs. Spelling out these costs in detail will allow us to assess whether they are worth paying.
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Epistemics: (Part 4: The fall of cost-effectiveness analysis)
This post chronicles the declining role of cost-effectiveness analysis within the effective altruism movement. While early effective altruists championed the use of rigorous cost-effectiveness analyses, in many circles those methods have fallen decidedly out of favor.
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Epistemics: (Part 3: Peer review)
What is the role of peer review within effective altruism? What should that role be?
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Epistemics: (Part 2: Examples)
In this post, I look at some ways in which examples are systematically misused in discussions by effective altruists. I focus on two cases: Aum Shinrikyo and the Biological Weapons Convention.
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Epistemics (Part 1: Introduction)
Effective altruists use the term `epistemics’ to describe practices that shape knowledge, belief and opinion within a community. This series focuses on areas in which community epistemic could be productively improved. In this post, I introduce the series by giving three examples of the topics that I will be concerned about.