[Update 12th December 21: get in touch if you would like to help. I originally wrote this post (in <5 minutes) because I was uncertain about it being a good idea.]
Progress Studies as a social movement has been growing fairly quickly. I think that the creation of a Progress Studies Forum could help to galvanise and perhaps further develop a community.
Here’s a few reasons why I think a forum should exist:
- I’ve been ‘associated’ with the EA and Rationalist movements for a while now. I think for both of the communities the forum acts as the central hub for new ideas, discussion, questions, events, etc.
- If someone is interested in Effective Altruism, I normally point them to a couple of books (Ord/MacAskill), and then the Forum for things they can search through related to their interests, say veganism, or longtermism. If they find the content interesting, they can continue to re-visit the Forum to keep abreast of EA related issues.
- Currently, the main medium of communication for people interested in Progress Studies is Slack. I think small – often weird – Slack/Discord communities are incredibly valuable and informative. Indeed, I indulge in many. Fairly recently, the Progress Studies Slack group amassed 1000 members and is now already close to 2000 members. I’m sure once Jason’s book is released next year many more people would be interested in Progress Studies. Given this potential growth, I think a forum is a more efficient method of communication.
Progress Studies 