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

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 [...]

---

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

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.