Stairway to Givewell

Yes, there are two paths you can go by

But in the long run

There's still time to change the road you're on.

--Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven

These lyrics sprang to mind immediately upon reading the latest blog post by Lucy Bernholz, Givewell director and proprietress of Philanthropy 2173. In her meditation on the ongoing Givewell controversy, Bernholz asks readers for advice on what the GW board should do in response. Several of the initial responses argue for dissolution, which, as I've suggested elsewhere, is what I believe to be the most appropriate action--not just as punishment or out of recognition of the loss of trust, but as a public example of the courage to shut a venture down when it has passed its peak.

Besides the suggestions for the future, there is also a comment on internet anonymity that raises a telling point about social networks and power dynamics:

Not everyone has a Harvard degree, a few hundred thou in the bank, and a powerful, well-connected charitable board - lawyers, accountants, captains of industry - to back them up. Folks like us - Leona's "little people" - are well aware that even just a little negative attention from folks like you - a phone call to our employer, maybe, or some other way of using social capital that you know about but we don't - could crush the little hopes and dreams of our miserable little lives with great speed and finality.

We think GiveWell and the issues it raises are important, and we are flattered and pleased that you have chosen to listen to us. But your class of people terrifies us because we know you have all the wealth, all the connections, all the power; and at the end of the day, if we know anything at all, we know that what you say, goes.