I remain confused about “utilitarianism, but use good judgement”. IMO, it’s amongst the more transparent motte-and-baileys I’ve seen. Here are two tweets from Eliezer that I see are regularly re-shared:
The rules say we must use consequentialism, but good people are deontologists, and virtue ethics is what actually works.
Go three-quarters of the way from deontology to utilitarianism and then stop. You are now in the right place. Stay there at least until you have become a god.
This describes Aristotelian Virtue Ethics—finding the golden mean between excess and deficiency. So are people here actually virtue ethicists who sometimes use math as a means of justification and explanation? Or do they continue to take utilitarianism to some of its weirder places, privately and publicly, but strategically seek shelter under other moral frameworks when criticized?
I’m finding it harder to take people who put “consequentialist” and “utilitarian” in their profiles and about mes seriously. If people abandon their stated moral framework on big important and consequential questions, then either they’re deluding themselves on what their moral framework actually is, or they really will act out the weird conclusions—but are being manipulative and strategic by saying “trust us, we have checks and balances”
And what happens when that double-checking comes back negative? And how much weight do you choose to give it? The answer seems to be rooted in matters of judgement and subjectivity. And if you’re doing it often enough, especially on questions of consequence, then that moral framework is better described as virtue ethics.
Out of curiosity, how would you say your process differs from a virtue ethicist trying to find the golden mean between excess and deficiency?
I remain confused about “utilitarianism, but use good judgement”. IMO, it’s amongst the more transparent motte-and-baileys I’ve seen. Here are two tweets from Eliezer that I see are regularly re-shared:
This describes Aristotelian Virtue Ethics—finding the golden mean between excess and deficiency. So are people here actually virtue ethicists who sometimes use math as a means of justification and explanation? Or do they continue to take utilitarianism to some of its weirder places, privately and publicly, but strategically seek shelter under other moral frameworks when criticized?
I’m finding it harder to take people who put “consequentialist” and “utilitarian” in their profiles and about mes seriously. If people abandon their stated moral framework on big important and consequential questions, then either they’re deluding themselves on what their moral framework actually is, or they really will act out the weird conclusions—but are being manipulative and strategic by saying “trust us, we have checks and balances”
I don’t think you have to abandon it, but you can look twice or ask trusted friends etc etc.
That doesn’t mean you can’t do the thing you intended to do.
And what happens when that double-checking comes back negative? And how much weight do you choose to give it? The answer seems to be rooted in matters of judgement and subjectivity. And if you’re doing it often enough, especially on questions of consequence, then that moral framework is better described as virtue ethics.
Out of curiosity, how would you say your process differs from a virtue ethicist trying to find the golden mean between excess and deficiency?