Right now, in rich countries, we seem to live in an unusual period Robin Hanson (2009) calls “the Dream Time”. You can survive valuing pretty much whatever you want, which is why there isn’t much selection pressure on values. This likely won’t go on forever, especially if Humanity starts colonizing space.
(Re religion. This is anecdotical but since you brought up this example: in the past, I think religious people would have been much less successful at spreading their values if they were more concerned about the suffering of the people they were trying to convert. The growth of religion was far from being a harm-free process.)
Thanks for the comment!
Right now, in rich countries, we seem to live in an unusual period Robin Hanson (2009) calls “the Dream Time”. You can survive valuing pretty much whatever you want, which is why there isn’t much selection pressure on values. This likely won’t go on forever, especially if Humanity starts colonizing space.
(Re religion. This is anecdotical but since you brought up this example: in the past, I think religious people would have been much less successful at spreading their values if they were more concerned about the suffering of the people they were trying to convert. The growth of religion was far from being a harm-free process.)