I find it interesting and unfortunate that there aren’t more economically left-wing thinkers influenced by Yudkowsky/LW thinking about AGI.
Maybe it’s just my bubble—and I really do not want to offend anyone, only to report honestly on what I observe around me—understanding economics seems right-wing coded. More precisely, when I talk to right-wing people about economics, there is a mix of descriptive and normative, but when I talk to left-wing people about economics, it is normative only: what should be done, in their opinion, often ignoring the second-order effects. Describing the economics as it is, seems like expressing approval; and approving of capitalism is right-wing.
Basically, if you made a YouTube video containing zero opinion on how things should be, only explaining the basic things about supply and demand (like, how scarcity makes things more expensive in a free market) and similar stuff, people listening to the video would label you as right-wing. Many of those who identify as left-wing would even dismiss the video as right-wing propaganda.
So, if my understanding is correct, this seems like a problem the left wing needs to solve internally. There is not much we can do as rationalists when someone makes not understanding something a signal of loyalty.
Maybe it’s just my bubble—and I really do not want to offend anyone, only to report honestly on what I observe around me—understanding economics seems right-wing coded. More precisely, when I talk to right-wing people about economics, there is a mix of descriptive and normative, but when I talk to left-wing people about economics, it is normative only: what should be done, in their opinion, often ignoring the second-order effects. Describing the economics as it is, seems like expressing approval; and approving of capitalism is right-wing.
Basically, if you made a YouTube video containing zero opinion on how things should be, only explaining the basic things about supply and demand (like, how scarcity makes things more expensive in a free market) and similar stuff, people listening to the video would label you as right-wing. Many of those who identify as left-wing would even dismiss the video as right-wing propaganda.
So, if my understanding is correct, this seems like a problem the left wing needs to solve internally. There is not much we can do as rationalists when someone makes not understanding something a signal of loyalty.