now weight purchasing fuzzies much more highly than I used to.
Do you mean charitable fuzzies specifically? What kinds of fuzzies do you purchase more of? Do you think this generalizes to more EAs?
What believing that I live in a deterministic system (wherein the current state is entirely the result of the preceding state) implies about morality.
Once upon a time, I read a Douglas Hofstadter book that convinced me that the answer was “nothing” (basically because determinism works at the level of basic physics, and morality / your perception of having free will operates about a gazillion levels of abstraction higher, such that applying the model “deterministic” to your own behavior is kind of like saying that no person is more than 7 years old because that’s the point where all the cells in their body get replaced).
I was in high school at the time so I don’t know if it would have the same effect on me, or you, today though.
(basically because determinism works at the level of basic physics, and morality / your perception of having free will operates about a gazillion levels of abstraction higher, such that applying the model “deterministic” to your own behavior is kind of like saying that no person is more than 7 years old because that’s the point where all the cells in their body get replaced).
Makes sense… this line of reasoning is part of why it feels like an open question for me.
On the other side – I feel like if, at root, I’m the composite of deterministic systems, then the concept of being morally obligated to do things loses force. (An example of how this sort of thing could inform views about morality.)
Wow, thanks for the great in depth reply!
Do you mean charitable fuzzies specifically? What kinds of fuzzies do you purchase more of? Do you think this generalizes to more EAs?
Once upon a time, I read a Douglas Hofstadter book that convinced me that the answer was “nothing” (basically because determinism works at the level of basic physics, and morality / your perception of having free will operates about a gazillion levels of abstraction higher, such that applying the model “deterministic” to your own behavior is kind of like saying that no person is more than 7 years old because that’s the point where all the cells in their body get replaced).
I was in high school at the time so I don’t know if it would have the same effect on me, or you, today though.
Yeah, I’ve updated towards focusing more on doing things that are helpful to people around me & in the communities I operate in.
In part motivated by complexity & cluelessness considerations, and in part by feeling good about helping my friends, family, and community.
I think doing stuff like this is much more in the direction of purchasing fuzzies, though it has a utilon component.
Also I’m reminded of how Stephanie Wykstra (GiveWell alum) started donating to bail reform.
>fuzzies
lmao
Makes sense… this line of reasoning is part of why it feels like an open question for me.
On the other side – I feel like if, at root, I’m the composite of deterministic systems, then the concept of being morally obligated to do things loses force. (An example of how this sort of thing could inform views about morality.)