I like the tree metaphor! I’ve always thought of it as a ladder of premises. You climb your way up the ladder, starting with the basics. Every step up the ladder, you lose some people. And if you start really high up the ladder, some people might get confused because they don’t understand the fundamental premises.
But I see how the branching metaphor can lead to the different viewpoints.
1. Life & quality of life matter.
2. They can be quantified.
3. More is better, e.g. 2 lives saved is 2x better than 1 life saved. (Effective)
4. You have the ability to do good by improving others lives & the quality of their lives. (Altruism)
Maybe here it branches...
A. Geography doesn’t matter, a life across the world matters the same amount as a life in your country → Global Health.
C. Time doesn’t matter, a life in the future matters the same amount as a life in the present. + There might be a lot of future humans + Reducing existential risk is the most effective way of addressing this → Longtermism
I like the tree metaphor! I’ve always thought of it as a ladder of premises. You climb your way up the ladder, starting with the basics. Every step up the ladder, you lose some people. And if you start really high up the ladder, some people might get confused because they don’t understand the fundamental premises.
But I see how the branching metaphor can lead to the different viewpoints.
1. Life & quality of life matter.
2. They can be quantified.
3. More is better, e.g. 2 lives saved is 2x better than 1 life saved. (Effective)
4. You have the ability to do good by improving others lives & the quality of their lives. (Altruism)
Maybe here it branches...
A. Geography doesn’t matter, a life across the world matters the same amount as a life in your country → Global Health.
B. Humans aren’t special. Animal lives matter too. → Animal Welfare.
C. Time doesn’t matter, a life in the future matters the same amount as a life in the present. + There might be a lot of future humans + Reducing existential risk is the most effective way of addressing this → Longtermism