What makes for a crony belief is how we’re rewarded for it. And the problem with beliefs about climate change is that we have no way to act on them — by which I mean there are no actions we can take whose payoffs (for us as individuals) depend on whether our beliefs are true or false. The rare exception would be someone living near the Florida coast, say, who moves inland to avoid predicted floods. (Does such a person even exist?) Or maybe the owner of a hedge fund or insurance company who places bets on the future evolution of the climate. But for the rest of us, our incentives come entirely from other people, from the way they judge us for what we believe and say. And thus our beliefs about climate change are little more than hot air (pun intended).
For those who actually want to affect climate change with their actions, this kinda goes hand-in-hand with the idea that stating your goals before you start working on them sabotages you due to getting social credit without having to do anything. Maybe the most useful beliefs should be kept private?
Then again, it’s important to spread correct ideas too, and that can’t happen if we all stayed shut up about it. Talking about climate change might honestly be the most impactful thing a lot of people are capable of (practically) doing. As much as I like to get bitter about hashtag activism, I don’t think we can ignore that it’s probably had at least some positive effects, even if they’re not optimal for as much effort as people put into yelling on the internet.
For those who actually want to affect climate change with their actions, this kinda goes hand-in-hand with the idea that stating your goals before you start working on them sabotages you due to getting social credit without having to do anything. Maybe the most useful beliefs should be kept private?
Then again, it’s important to spread correct ideas too, and that can’t happen if we all stayed shut up about it. Talking about climate change might honestly be the most impactful thing a lot of people are capable of (practically) doing. As much as I like to get bitter about hashtag activism, I don’t think we can ignore that it’s probably had at least some positive effects, even if they’re not optimal for as much effort as people put into yelling on the internet.