If our sphere of influence grows exponentially, and our moral circle expands gradually, then you can make a similar argument supporting expanding it more quickly now
Just want to check I understand what you’re saying here. Are you saying we might want to focus more on expanding growth today because it could have a huge effect on wealth in the long term, or are you saying that we might want to focus more on expanding the moral circle today because we want our future large sphere of influence to be used in a good way rather than a bad way?
The second, we want our future large sphere of influence to be used in a good way. If our sphere of influence grows much faster than our moral circle (and our moral circle still misses a huge number of whom we should rightfully consider significant moral patients; the moral circle could be different in different parts of the universe), then it’s possible that the number of moral patients we could have helped but didn’t to grow very quickly, too. Basically, expanding the moral circle would always be urgent, and sooner has a much greater payoff than later.
Just want to check I understand what you’re saying here. Are you saying we might want to focus more on expanding growth today because it could have a huge effect on wealth in the long term, or are you saying that we might want to focus more on expanding the moral circle today because we want our future large sphere of influence to be used in a good way rather than a bad way?
The second, we want our future large sphere of influence to be used in a good way. If our sphere of influence grows much faster than our moral circle (and our moral circle still misses a huge number of whom we should rightfully consider significant moral patients; the moral circle could be different in different parts of the universe), then it’s possible that the number of moral patients we could have helped but didn’t to grow very quickly, too. Basically, expanding the moral circle would always be urgent, and sooner has a much greater payoff than later.
This is pretty much pure speculation, though.
That makes sense! It does seem particularly important to have expanded the moral circle a lot before we spread to the stars.