“CFAR is trying to raise the sanity waterline of the population at large” is, I predict, a statement that would have been labeled as true by a substantial number, possibly a majority, of people who knew about CFAR
Since I have written about stuff related to this before, I’m lucky enough to have links handy at any given time. So here’s cousin_it[1] in 2017 (!):
I wonder if people at MIRI think the same way. In a sense, the funnel idea was there from the beginning, as “raising the sanity waterline”. CFAR can also be seen as part of that. But these efforts are mostly aimed at outreach, and I’m not sure they ever consciously tried to build a mechanism for converting status to research. What would it take to build such a mechanism today?
Also, this donation comment for their 2015 fundraiser is hilarious in hindsight:
Donated $100 second time. Let’s raise that sanity waterline!
Edit: also, here’s Ben Pace (you may have heard of him) in 2013:
CFAR is working to discover systematic training methods for increasing rationality in humans.
If they discover said methods, and make them publicly available, that could massively increase the sanity waterline on a global scale.
This will require much work, but I think that it’s really important work.
Since I have written about stuff related to this before, I’m lucky enough to have links handy at any given time. So here’s cousin_it[1] in 2017 (!):
Also, this donation comment for their 2015 fundraiser is hilarious in hindsight:
Edit: also, here’s Ben Pace (you may have heard of him) in 2013:
Not a random lurker by any stretch of the imagination!
Not sure if this is of any particular importance, but I want to note that I was only 16 at the time of that quote :)