Agree/support with the idea/a lot of these points, and also 4 particularly; for “1. Shouldn’t there be an academic discipline specifically dedicated to the phenomenon of suffering?” I have been thinking how exactly economic disparity contribute to suffering risks, and if this is one reliable causal reason for systematic crime
The economy is certainly one of the key areas of our societies where much of the risk of suffering and crime is played out. Disparity might not be a problem in itself, but when people are denied the essentials to survive decently, it is clear that the resulting suffering may be a cause of systematic crime. How exactly? I suppose economists have looked at this question over the last two or three centuries, but… while many professionals in various fields (healthcare, economics, ethics, law, etc. ) are motivated by the alleviation of suffering at the start of their career, none so far have been able to keep the phenomenon of suffering at the forefront of their concerns, because their profession necessarily deals first and foremost with its own specific object (health/illness, wealth/poverty, the good/the bad, the right/crime, etc. ) rather than with suffering as such: a specifically dedicated discipline would be a game-changer.
Young Effective Altruists would do well to consider a career in this new discipline, which awaits its illustrious pioneers.
Agree/support with the idea/a lot of these points, and also 4 particularly; for “1. Shouldn’t there be an academic discipline specifically dedicated to the phenomenon of suffering?” I have been thinking how exactly economic disparity contribute to suffering risks, and if this is one reliable causal reason for systematic crime
Thanks for your comment.
The economy is certainly one of the key areas of our societies where much of the risk of suffering and crime is played out. Disparity might not be a problem in itself, but when people are denied the essentials to survive decently, it is clear that the resulting suffering may be a cause of systematic crime. How exactly? I suppose economists have looked at this question over the last two or three centuries, but… while many professionals in various fields (healthcare, economics, ethics, law, etc. ) are motivated by the alleviation of suffering at the start of their career, none so far have been able to keep the phenomenon of suffering at the forefront of their concerns, because their profession necessarily deals first and foremost with its own specific object (health/illness, wealth/poverty, the good/the bad, the right/crime, etc. ) rather than with suffering as such: a specifically dedicated discipline would be a game-changer.
Young Effective Altruists would do well to consider a career in this new discipline, which awaits its illustrious pioneers.