Personally, I have some deep psychological trauma related to pain and thinking about the topic is … unproductive for me. Prolonged thinking about S-risks scares me, and I might not be able to think clearly about the topic. But maybe I could. The fear is what keeps me away. This is a flaw, and I’m unsure if it extends to other rationalists/EAs, but I’d guess people in these groups are unusually likely to have such scars because the LW memeplex is attractive to the walking wounded. I wouldn’t be suprised if a few alignment researchers avoid s-risks for similair reasons.
Personally, I have some deep psychological trauma related to pain and thinking about the topic is … unproductive for me. Prolonged thinking about S-risks scares me, and I might not be able to think clearly about the topic. But maybe I could. The fear is what keeps me away. This is a flaw, and I’m unsure if it extends to other rationalists/EAs, but I’d guess people in these groups are unusually likely to have such scars because the LW memeplex is attractive to the walking wounded. I wouldn’t be suprised if a few alignment researchers avoid s-risks for similair reasons.