TLDR: Take the population ethics quiz here: https://mdickens.me/pop-ethics/
Population ethics is an oft-overlooked subfield within ethics. Many people hold views that they don't realize contradict each other, or that have strange implications that they wouldn't endorse if they thought about it more.
Not just that—population ethics is a BIG DEAL. A lot of ethical decisions hinge on how you think about changes in future populations....
A preliminary estimate, and a request for better ones.
Summary
I believe the standard literature estimates for the number of DALYs attributable to a case of stunting are too low, largely because they don’t account for the long term effects. This means that childhood nutritional interventions that reduce the prevalence of stunting may be substantially more cost-effective than previously believed.
Epistemic status
Exploratory and back-o...
I’ve been feeling pretty shaken since the METR report about the Hugging Face incident came out last week. Over the weekend, I wrote up some thoughts on how lonely the AI situation sometimes feels to me. It’s more personal than what I’d usually share publicly, but I thought I’d post it here in case it resonates with anyone else.
I’m very grateful to the man...
Hi all,
I’m a 25-year-old PhD student (just finished my master's) in Turkey, working in wireless communications, with a focus on signal processing, information theory, and physical-layer technologies. I really love the field, especially the math behind it, and while research is sometimes stressful (more than sometimes), I honestly don’t see myself doing anything else long term.
That said, I’ve been engaging with the EA community recently, and I’m unsure how to connect my work with any of the top EA cause areas. The one that feels closest is AI alignment, but I’ve never worked in AI/ML directly. Some people in my field are exploring ML for wireless systems, but that’s still pretty far from core alignment research.
So here’s where I’m stuck:
-Is there a way for someone with my background to make a meaningful contribution to EA-aligned cause areas, without leaving the field I love?
For example, would working on non-terrestrial networks (improving global internet access) be a meaningful contribution to global development or infrastructure resilience?
-Or should I consider earning to give as my primary contribution, while continuing a career I’m good at and love?
-Are there overlooked intersections between wireless/communications and critical EA cause areas like AI safety, biorisk, or catastrophic risk resilience?
-Or should I make a longer-term pivot toward more "core" EA paths, even if that means stepping outside of my comfort zone?
I really want to do something that matters, but I’m starting to feel like there’s no good path that lets me do impactful work and stay true to my core interests. I’d appreciate any guidance.
Thanks in advance!