No question it is much easier, but in almost all cases it would be massively more useful for yourself and for the world in general to double your productivity than to double your effort towards or effect on public goods.
I strongly disagree. Whether it’s existential risks or cryonics or Africa or whatever else it is you think near-optimally-useful charity would be focused on, the effect of a dollar going there outweighs the effect of making a random LessWronger a dollar richer by orders of magnitude. Given that we’re talking about helping other people be more productive, this isn’t an egoism vs altruism thing; it’s a stupid altruism vs smart altruism thing.
No question it is much easier, but in almost all cases it would be massively more useful for yourself and for the world in general to double your productivity than to double your effort towards or effect on public goods.
I strongly disagree. Whether it’s existential risks or cryonics or Africa or whatever else it is you think near-optimally-useful charity would be focused on, the effect of a dollar going there outweighs the effect of making a random LessWronger a dollar richer by orders of magnitude. Given that we’re talking about helping other people be more productive, this isn’t an egoism vs altruism thing; it’s a stupid altruism vs smart altruism thing.