This is perhaps a bit off-topic, but I have a question about this sentence:
I do actually think there is value on poverty-reduction like work
Would it be correct to say that poverty-reduction work isn’t less valuable in absolute terms in a longtermist worldview than it is in a near-termist worldview?
One reason that poverty-reduction is great is because returns to income seem roughly logarithmic. This applies to both worldviews. The difference in a longtermist worldview is that causes like x-risk reduction gain a lot in value. This makes poverty reduction seem less valuable relative to the best things we can do. But, since there’s no reason to think individual utility functions are different in long- and near-termist worldviews, in absolute terms the utility gain from transferring resources from high-income to low-income people is the same.
This is perhaps a bit off-topic, but I have a question about this sentence:
Would it be correct to say that poverty-reduction work isn’t less valuable in absolute terms in a longtermist worldview than it is in a near-termist worldview?
One reason that poverty-reduction is great is because returns to income seem roughly logarithmic. This applies to both worldviews. The difference in a longtermist worldview is that causes like x-risk reduction gain a lot in value. This makes poverty reduction seem less valuable relative to the best things we can do. But, since there’s no reason to think individual utility functions are different in long- and near-termist worldviews, in absolute terms the utility gain from transferring resources from high-income to low-income people is the same.