#830 Émile Torres: The Philosophy of Effective Altruism and Longtermism
RECORDED ON JULY 25th 2023.
Dr. Émile Torres is a researcher at Leibniz Universität Hannover, in Germany. Their work over the past decade has centered around a single theme: eschatology, whether religious, secular, or scientific. Recently, their work has been focused on the nature and causes of human extinction, its ethical implications, and the history of the idea. They are the author of Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing: An Introduction to Existential Risks, and their latest book is Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation.
In this episode, we talk about effective altruism and longtermism. We discuss the philosophical tenets of effective altruism (EA), whether it is utilitarian, and if it is more “rational” than other moral theories. We get into criticisms of EA, regarding how “effective” it really is; not caring about systemic change; and criticisms of philanthropy. We then talk about longtermism: where it comes from; the existential risks it cares about; caring about future people at the expense of people alive right now; and the link between longtermism and eugenics.
Time Links:
Intro
The philosophical tenets of effective altruism
Is effective altruism utilitarian?
Is effective altruism more “rational” than other moral theories?
What does “effective” mean?
Not caring about systemic change
Is philanthropy good?
Longtermism, and where it comes from
The existential risks longtermists care about
Caring about future people at the expense of people alive right now
The link between longtermism and eugenics
Follow Dr. Torres’ work!
Follow Dr. Torres’ work:
University page: https://bit.ly/3BUcz8j
Website: https://bit.ly/3qbrU1S
Human Extinction (book): https://bit.ly/3OGrXgi
Twitter handle: @xriskology