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[Agathon Seminar]  Sultan Mehmood--Training Effective Altruism
Sep
28
5:30 PM17:30

[Agathon Seminar] Sultan Mehmood--Training Effective Altruism

Abstract: Randomizing different schools of thought–via a month-long training– finds that training deputy ministers in effective altruism renders 0.4-0.6 standard deviations increase in altruism. Treated ministers increased mentalizing of others: blood donations doubled, but only when blood banks requested their exact blood type. Perspective-taking in strategic dilemmas improved. Orphanage visits and volunteering in impoverished schools also increased. We then trace the impact of the training on their policymaking: one year after training, amid official duties, ministers were 50-100% more likely to choose social policies and recommend over 4-fold additional funding for them. Overall, our results underscore that effective altruism may be a parsimonious foundation for formation of prosociality, even impacting the behavior of adults in the field and their high-stakes policymaking.

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Sep
6
6:00 PM18:00

Intro to EA + Open House

  • Boylston Hall 110 Fong Auditorium (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Harvard EA, the Harvard-MIT Project on Existential Risk, and the Harvard AI Safety Team will host a brief introduction to Effective Altruism followed by an open house for our programs, including the intro fellowships mentioned above, Harvard EA’s In-Depth EA (IDEA) Fellowship, research programs offered through HMX and HAIST, and more.

Info session to be followed by socials at the Athenaeum (31 Athens St), with food and drinks provided accompanying conversations for doing good.

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