I’ll admit this was a lot to take in, and intuitively I’m inclined to reject fanaticism simply because it seems more reasonable, intuitively, to believe that high probability interventions are always better than low ones. This position, for me at least, is rooted in normalcy bias, and if there’s one thing Effective Altruism has taught me, it’s that normalcy bias can be a formidable obstacle to doing good.
I think I share your experience. Unfortunately, the more I’ve learned about philosophy, the more I’ve realized how often my intuitions lead to conclusions that make no sense whatsoever. In general, if I want to avoid making ridiculous judgments, it seems I sometimes have to give up things that seem obvious in many circumstances. I don’t know if there’s a moral truth, but if there is, it might be quite odd in many ways.
I’ll admit this was a lot to take in, and intuitively I’m inclined to reject fanaticism simply because it seems more reasonable, intuitively, to believe that high probability interventions are always better than low ones. This position, for me at least, is rooted in normalcy bias, and if there’s one thing Effective Altruism has taught me, it’s that normalcy bias can be a formidable obstacle to doing good.
I think I share your experience. Unfortunately, the more I’ve learned about philosophy, the more I’ve realized how often my intuitions lead to conclusions that make no sense whatsoever. In general, if I want to avoid making ridiculous judgments, it seems I sometimes have to give up things that seem obvious in many circumstances. I don’t know if there’s a moral truth, but if there is, it might be quite odd in many ways.