[Linkpost] “Of Marx and Moloch: How My Attempt to Convince Effective Altruists to Become Socialists Backfired Completely” by LennoxJohnson

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27d ago 2:51

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This is a personal essay about my failed attempt to convince effective altruists to become socialists. I started as a convinced socialist who thought EA ignored the 'root causes' of poverty by focusing on charity instead of structural change. After studying sociology and economics to build a rigorous case for socialism, the project completely backfired as I realized my political beliefs were largely psychological coping mechanisms.

Here are the key points:

Understanding the "root cause" of a problem doesn't necessarily lead to better solutions - Even if capitalism causes poverty, understanding "dynamics of capitalism" won't necessarily help you solve it
Abstract sociological theories are mostly obscurantist bullshit - Academic sociology suffers from either unrealistic mathematical models or vague, unfalsifiable claims that don't help you understand or change the world
The world is better understood as misaligned incentives rather than coordinated oppression - Most social [...]

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First published:
August 10th, 2025

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/AcPw55oF3reBiW4FX/of-marx-and-moloch-how-my-attempt-to-convince-effective

Linkpost URL:
https://honestsignals.substack.com/p/of-marx-and-moloch-or-my-misguided

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

257 episodes

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