Applications for our next round (Easter 2024) are open!
EA In-Depth Programme
What the In-Depth Programme involves
What is the In-Depth Programme?
The EA In-Depth programme is a series of weekly discussion groups that provide an opportunity to dive deep into EA topics and explore key uncertainties. It is an advanced version of our EA fellowship.
Fellowship discussions will happen in small groups of 3-7 fellows, with an experienced facilitator. Cohorts will meet weekly for 1.5 hours in a central Cambridge location.
Participants will engage with philosophical concepts, learn how to reason accurately and gain insight into the complexities of important problems. The programme aims to equip participants with the skills necessary to explore EA-related questions in greater depth, with a focus on addressing their career and donation-related uncertainties.
Examples topics will include:
Focusing in on specific cause areas, such as bio-risk or global poverty
Exploring philosophical cruxes such as population ethics and moral uncertainty
Exploring different methods of reasoning
As the programme progresses, participants will have a role in choosing the topics and readings for future discussions.
This programme is a step beyond the EA Fellowship and offers a unique opportunity for in-depth exploration and discussion with others.
Who is it aimed at?
The In-Depth programme is aimed at people who are already quite familiar with EA, such as those who have completed the EA Fellowship. It is open to students at all stages of university education as well as non-students based in Cambridge.
What are the requirements?
The programme runs for 6 weeks. To take part, you should be
Willing to spend 2-3 hours each week preparing for the meeting
Committed to attending all 6 sessions (unless unforeseen circumstances arise)
Already familiar with the basic ideas of Effective Altruism
If you have any questions, please contact info@eacambridge.org.
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Week 1: Introductions and Uncerainties
This week will focus on outlining how the program will work, answering any questions you have, and setting intentions for the program.
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Week 2: What do you value?
This week we will consider some of the ethical positions which inspire effective altruism, how a history of changing ethical norms might affect how we want to do good, and how our own values line up with the tools EAs use.
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Week 3: How do you form beliefs?
This week we’ll explore how we can be more truth-seeking and form accurate models of the world.
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Option: Risks from Unaligned Artificial Intelligence
AI seems likely to be one of the most revolutionary technologies of the next century. There are also some specific arguments about how very intelligent AI could act against our interests and potentially even lead to human extinction.
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Option: Mitigating Global Catastrophic Biorisks
Pandemics have been some of the most catastrophic events in human history. Advances in synthetic biology suggest the risk could only be increasing.
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Option: Is this the Most Important Century?
Some people argue that we are at an unusually important moment in human history. This could imply that actions we take at the moment are extremely pivotal for shaping the long-run future of humanity.
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Option: Improving Governance and Institutions
Many issues that we care about often seem to stem from poor cooperation or decision making in institutions. This suggests that an effective way to improve the present and the long run future would be to improve how institutions function.
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Option: Effective Solutions to Global Poverty?
Global poverty is one of the largest sources of suffering in the world at the moment. How do we balance between targeted cost-effective interventions and more systemic changes?
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Option: Sustainable Motivation in Effective Altruism
Effective Altruism can appear to place high demands on us to help others. How should we balance helping others with looking after ourselves?
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Option: Trajectory Changes or Existential Risks?
People interested in the long-term effects of their actions often focus on existential risk reduction. However some people argue that the most important things to work on are other adjustments to the future trajectory of humanity.
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Option: Should We Care About Future Generations?
A lot of the impact of our actions could come from how they affect the lives of future generations. But how should we compare the welfare of people in the future to people alive today?
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Option: Can We Understand All the Impacts of Our Actions?
It can be very hard to understand even the full short term effects of our actions. So how can we even hope to understand the effects of our actions millions of years from now?
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Week 6: Reflections and Next Steps
This week we’ll reflect on what we’ve learnt throughout the programme and think about next steps.