Rob Whitman
Showing 1–2 of 2 transcripts.
- 80,000 Hours1h 37m
Whether we're winning or losing against COVID-19 | Marc Lipsitch (2020)
Mark Lipsitch and other epidemiological experts analyze the US pandemic response, critiquing strategic failures like delayed testing and flawed modeling while highlighting the importance of sustainable field infrastructure and faster grant cycles. The discussion outlines evidence-based recommendations for future preparedness, including massive testing scale-ups, ethical human challenge trials, and the need for a peacetime ecosystem of researchers capable of pivoting to new threats. Additionally, the event provides career guidance for quantitative specialists and announces the rescheduling of the Effective Altruism Global conference to a virtual format featuring consensus-based policy guidelines.
- 80,000 Hours1h 21m
80K Actually After Hours | Bean Counting with Chana Messinger
Chana Messinger, Rob Whitman, Matt Reardon, Bella Forestall, Cody Fenwick
Host Rob Whitman and 80,000 Hours staff members Matt Reardon, Bella Forestall, and Cody Fenwick join CEA advisor Hannah Messenger for an unscripted discussion exploring the psychological and logistical challenges of effective altruism work. The group analyzes how bureaucratic shielding and the "politics of sight" create moral hazards in sectors ranging from animal welfare to job advising, while debating the utility of sobriety and the emotional labor required to maintain social bonds. In a concluding segment, participants challenge Messenger's claim of coining the term "steel manning" and offer a monetary bounty for documented evidence of the phrase's earlier historical origins.