I think J.S. Mill’s On Liberty offers a compelling argument for why utilitarians (and, by extension, Strong EAs) ought to favour pluralism, “experiments in living”, and significant spheres of personal liberty.
So, as a possible suggestion for the “What should EA do?” section: Read On Liberty, and encourage other EAs to do likewise. (In the coming year I’ll be adding a ‘study guide’ on this to utilitarianism.net, which should be more accessible to a modern audience than the 19th century original.)
fwiw, my sense is that more EAs already share a Millian ethos rather than a totalitarian one! But it’s certainly important to maintain this.
Thanks for the recommendation. This dovetails nicely with my 4th recommendation (identify a firm philosophical foundation for the weakened form of EA I am proposing). The ‘spheres of personal liberty’ concept sounds like a decent starting point for a reformulation of the principle.
I think J.S. Mill’s On Liberty offers a compelling argument for why utilitarians (and, by extension, Strong EAs) ought to favour pluralism, “experiments in living”, and significant spheres of personal liberty.
So, as a possible suggestion for the “What should EA do?” section: Read On Liberty, and encourage other EAs to do likewise. (In the coming year I’ll be adding a ‘study guide’ on this to utilitarianism.net, which should be more accessible to a modern audience than the 19th century original.)
fwiw, my sense is that more EAs already share a Millian ethos rather than a totalitarian one! But it’s certainly important to maintain this.
Thanks for the recommendation. This dovetails nicely with my 4th recommendation (identify a firm philosophical foundation for the weakened form of EA I am proposing). The ‘spheres of personal liberty’ concept sounds like a decent starting point for a reformulation of the principle.