I think critiquing EA for a lack of moral imagination is very off the mark. Effective altruism has moral imagination in abundance, and it’s one of the movements most admirable qualities.
I would say my problems with the movement is in the opposite direction: is that it lacks sufficient skepticism to temper it’s vast moral imagination. Most novel ideas, including moral ideas, are simply wrong for one reason or another. The EA valorisation of novel moral ideas lets ideas be entrenched that have not passed the standards of scrutiny that is present in the actual scientific process that EA emulates.
If you look at the examples given in the article linked, they discuss a new great moral development occuring every couple of centuries. Do you truly believe that EA has come up with 5 or so such revolutionary ideas in a mere two decades?
Re your final question, I definitely don’t think Michael was trying to say that it has to reach that standard to count as moral imagination — just that they are some of the best and clearest examples of moral imagination and how important it can be.
I think critiquing EA for a lack of moral imagination is very off the mark. Effective altruism has moral imagination in abundance, and it’s one of the movements most admirable qualities.
I would say my problems with the movement is in the opposite direction: is that it lacks sufficient skepticism to temper it’s vast moral imagination. Most novel ideas, including moral ideas, are simply wrong for one reason or another. The EA valorisation of novel moral ideas lets ideas be entrenched that have not passed the standards of scrutiny that is present in the actual scientific process that EA emulates.
If you look at the examples given in the article linked, they discuss a new great moral development occuring every couple of centuries. Do you truly believe that EA has come up with 5 or so such revolutionary ideas in a mere two decades?
Interesting take!
Re your final question, I definitely don’t think Michael was trying to say that it has to reach that standard to count as moral imagination — just that they are some of the best and clearest examples of moral imagination and how important it can be.