On your triage point, I think we can and do triage based on other criteria—namely, how much it costs to save a life. That feels a lot more in the spirit of triage than this specific comparison, which is much closer to a value judgment about what kinds of lives are worth living. Are we really okay with just judging that the lives of other people are less worth living than our own?
On the GCR point, that’s fair enough—it is the argument that Beckstead makes. The post is just to say that I find it uncomfortable, and plausibly an argument that a less WEIRD and more international EA would reject. But I’m afraid that’s just my wild speculation.
I’ve edited my comment to include instrumentally valuing life as well. I’ll cut out the repugnant conclusion part of my comment.
On your triage point, I think we can and do triage based on other criteria—namely, how much it costs to save a life. That feels a lot more in the spirit of triage than this specific comparison, which is much closer to a value judgment about what kinds of lives are worth living. Are we really okay with just judging that the lives of other people are less worth living than our own?
On the GCR point, that’s fair enough—it is the argument that Beckstead makes. The post is just to say that I find it uncomfortable, and plausibly an argument that a less WEIRD and more international EA would reject. But I’m afraid that’s just my wild speculation.