Reflective altruism
I’m a philosopher at Vanderbilt University (views my own). The purpose of this blog is to use academic research to drive positive change within and around the effective altruism movement. Discussions are long-form and structured around thematic series. Subscribe below for biweekly posts.
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Billionaire philanthropy: (Part 6: From efficiency to extravagance)
An influx of wealth led in some cases to excessive spending by effective altruists. I consider general evidence that the funding bar was lowered by the ready availability of cash, then focus on two concrete projects which look to involve excessive spending: Wytham Abbey and Redwood Research.
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The good it promises, the harm it does (Part 4: Lori Gruen)
Revolutionaries argue that meaningful change requires overthrowing unjust systems. Reformers counter that it is often best to improve conditions within existing systems. Lori Guren proposes a middle road between revolution and reform.
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Exaggerating the risks (Part 8: Carlsmith wrap-up)
I take a final look at the Carlsmith report on risks from power-seeking artificial intelligence, focusing on AI timelines as well as the argument from practical PS-misalignment to disempowerment of humanity.
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Mistakes in the moral mathematics of existential risk (Part 1: Introduction and cumulative risk)
Many authors give alarmingly high estimates of the value of existential risk mitigation. In this series based on my paper of the same name, I discuss three mistakes in the moral mathematics of existential risk that unduly inflate estimates of the value of existential risk mitigation.
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Epistemics: (Part 2: Examples)
In this post, I look at some ways in which examples are systematically misused in discussions by effective altruists. I focus on two cases: Aum Shinrikyo and the Biological Weapons Convention.
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Billionaire philanthropy: (Part 5: Sources of wealth)
When reflecting on the harms and benefits of donations to effective altruist causes, it is important to ask where the donated wealth comes from. In this post, I look at some challenges raised by key sources of wealth for effective altruist causes.
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Exaggerating the risks (Part 7: Carlsmith on instrumental convergence)
I take a second look at the Carlsmith report on risks from power-seeking artificial intelligence, focusing on Carlsmith’s argument for instrumental convergence.
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Epistemics (Part 1: Introduction)
Effective altruists use the term `epistemics’ to describe practices that shape knowledge, belief and opinion within a community. This series focuses on areas in which community epistemic could be productively improved. In this post, I introduce the series by giving three examples of the topics that I will be concerned about.
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The good it promises, the harm it does (Part 3: Carol J. Adams)
Carol J Adams proposes that effective altruists can learn valuable lessons from the feminist tradition of care ethics. I discuss two concrete lessons and sketch a care ethical approach.