How can one distinguish between the shadows being real, and simply being of a certain personality type that is amenable to groups who claim to be "in on it" and argue that the rest of society is oblivious? This is something I've pondered a fair bit regarding the EA / LW / AI Safety communities. Even though I'm personally quite convinced of many of the risks discussed here I've always felt an aversion to this Cassandra mindset.
When speaking to "uninformed" friends or colleagues on such topics I try to hold the complexities of both our world and of the various interconnected risks in mind while effortfully finding a balance between fully expressing my true beliefs and simultaneously trying to not completely alienate myself or scare them off from the line of thinking. To me this feels like not only a necessary approach for my own mental wellbeing, but also perhaps a more effective way to reach people – to meet them closer to where they're currently at. But perhaps this is only manageable with lower convictions that the species is utterly doomed, or it's simply a phase one goes through prior to resigning to a state of acceptance that the gods of straight lines will have their way.
How can one distinguish between the shadows being real, and simply being of a certain personality type that is amenable to groups who claim to be "in on it" and argue that the rest of society is oblivious? This is something I've pondered a fair bit regarding the EA / LW / AI Safety communities. Even though I'm personally quite convinced of many of the risks discussed here I've always felt an aversion to this Cassandra mindset.
When speaking to "uninformed" friends or colleagues on such topics I try to hold the complexities of both our world and of the various interconnected risks in mind while effortfully finding a balance between fully expressing my true beliefs and simultaneously trying to not completely alienate myself or scare them off from the line of thinking. To me this feels like not only a necessary approach for my own mental wellbeing, but also perhaps a more effective way to reach people – to meet them closer to where they're currently at. But perhaps this is only manageable with lower convictions that the species is utterly doomed, or it's simply a phase one goes through prior to resigning to a state of acceptance that the gods of straight lines will have their way.