I’m in a pile of excellent people opposed to the TESCREALists at this trying time in history. We need a name.
We have a list of possibles, but it’s actually hard to pick a nice name that doesn’t sound like an EA front group!
An initialism for S.N.E.E.R. probably won’t be the sort of thing we’re after lol.
What’s a name that’s (a) nice and polite sounding (b) says at least a bit what it actually is (c) doesn’t sound like an EA front group?
I have a question about the nature of this “anti-TESCREALism”. “TESCREALism” has an intellectual content that includes things like life extension, philanthropic utilitarianism, and concern with the long-term future and the rise of superhuman AI. Then there’s a host of things that have no inherent connection to that intellectual content, like the sex parties, belief in racial IQ differences, consorting with tech billionaires, etc. Where would this nonprofit’s opposition be focused?
@Mitchell_Porter The point here is that TESCREAL is a nascent syncretistic religion, like early Christianity during the first centuries CE (before the first Council of Nicaea). In modern terms, it’s a cult or exhibits cult-like traits. And cults generally attract narcissistic psychopaths and grifters who use them for self-enrichment and sex at the expense of the more normal (gullible) followers.
The purpose of a system is what it does. Watch what TESCREAL does. And what its boosters do with it.
The Banner Bright
Gradient clippers. In machine learning, learning too quickly can cause a model to “explode,” and the technique to prevent it from moving too quickly is called gradient clipping. So, if you apply that to technology, gradient clippers would be opposed to accelerationism.
We used to be disgusted
Now we try to be amusedmaybe that’s more for this site
PATTERN
People Against Technocracy Transformation by Evangelical Rich Nazis.
The thread seems to be dropping off, but this is gold.
Stable Technology Initiative! Uhhh wait that’s not right…
Seriously though, something emphasizing stability would probably be quite effective, if overemphasizing the bad guys’ shitty software products in contrast to their destructive social attitudes. Stable Technology Society, Society for Stable Technology, Stable and Equitable Technology Society…
Software quality is already generally pretty terrible; heavyweight, buggy software is crammed into more places than it really needs to be; and people are going to have even worse experiences with shoddy technology in the years ahead. Emphasizing stable technology that just works and continues to do its job for years, or even a human lifetime, is pretty hard for the “move-fast-and-break-things” crowd to assail, especially as the bill for living in their world continues to come due.
Association Opposing Greed and Idiocy.
Doesn’t lend itself to snickering. Gets the point across. Hard to turn into “well actually the real greed is sharing”.
the human frame
I feel like so much of the TESCREAL narrative is about a particular kind of line-goes-up futurism that something about an egalitarian or democratic future could help demonstrate where our vision differs and foreground where their ideology is fundamentally authoritarian. The word “democratic” is probably unusable in a US context, regrettably. I’d also like to snipe at the longtermists specifically and emphasize making the future better by solving the problems that are right in front of us now rather then ignoring them and hoping they go away.
Working Today for a Free and Equal Tomorrow or something?
I think anything with language about advocacy, speaking out, justice, fairness etc. is good because it contrasts with the EA belief that public policy must only be discussed in a totally values neutral way with any personal standpoints optimized out.
Society for Egalitarian Technology and Ethical Computation
Tech Cult Watch ?
What kind of activities are intended exactly, journalism, lobbying?
Hmmm…
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Reaction Watch (like retraction watch but, you know. reactionaries)
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Mad At Reactionary Techies
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Action Against Computer Cults
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Computer Users Against Reactionary Losers
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Silicon Valley Antifa
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???
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poo poo pee pee gang
Nowtermism
Or otherwise something drawing attention to the problems that exist in the world today, as I feel that’s the big antithesis to everything TESCREALists worry about (besides the racism, of course).
