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A thread through the archive
ethics
Essays tagged “ethics”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on ethics
52 essaysACX
My Heart Of Hearts
Scott discusses how moral principles emerge from the relationship between emotional responses and rational consistency, using reactions to Gaza as a central example.
12 min read 1,784 words
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More Drowning Children
Through various thought experiments around the drowning child scenario, Scott critiques common moral frameworks and proposes using Rawls' 'original position' to develop a more coherent system of moral obligations.
26 min read 3,938 words
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Everyone's A Based Post-Christian Vitalist Until The Grooming Gangs Show Up
Scott critiques self-proclaimed moral nihilists who claim to not care about strangers' suffering, by pointing out their passionate response to the British grooming gangs scandal reveals they actually do care.
11 min read 1,625 words
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Altruism And Vitalism As Fellow Travelers
Scott Alexander argues that altruism and vitalism mostly align in practice, and that focusing on their theoretical divergences often stems from signaling rather than genuine pursuit of societal improvement.
25 min read 3,759 words
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Matt Yglesias Considered As The Nietzschean Superman
Scott Alexander examines Nietzsche's concepts of 'master morality' and 'slave morality', analyzing their modern manifestations and exploring potential compromises between these opposing moral frameworks.
77 min read 11,870 words
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Your Book Review: Dominion
In 'Dominion', conservative Christian Matthew Scully makes a comprehensive case for animal welfare, critiquing practices like factory farming and hunting from religious, ethical, and scientific perspectives.
44 min read 6,728 words
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Nobody Can Make You Feel Genetically Inferior Without Your Consent
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of genetic and personal inferiority, arguing that while objective differences exist, framing comparisons in terms of inferiority is unproductive and potentially harmful.
9 min read 1,378 words
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Profile: The Far Out Initiative
The post explores the Far Out Initiative's goal to eliminate suffering through biotechnology, inspired by a pain-free woman and David Pearce's philosophy.
28 min read 4,249 words
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Verses On Five People Being Killed By A Falling Package Of Foreign Aid
Scott Alexander's poem, inspired by a tragic aid airdrop incident in Gaza, explores the challenges and unintended consequences of altruism through various philosophical lenses.
4 min read 467 words
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Less Utilitarian Than Thou
Scott Alexander explores the misconception of utilitarianism, arguing that many common political actions are more ethically questionable than his own 'utilitarian' views.
7 min read 970 words
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Who Does Polygenic Selection Help?
Scott Alexander argues that using polygenic screening to select low-risk embryos can be considered as preventing genetic disorders, drawing parallels with other accepted preventive practices.
8 min read 1,185 words
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Should The Future Be Human?
Scott Alexander examines the ethical implications of AI potentially replacing humans, arguing for careful consideration in AI development rather than blind acceptance.
10 min read 1,548 words
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AI Sleeper Agents
Scott Alexander reviews a study on AI sleeper agents, discussing implications for AI safety and the potential for deceptive AI behavior.
18 min read 2,758 words
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Contra The xAI Alignment Plan
Scott Alexander critiques Elon Musk's xAI alignment strategy of creating a 'maximally curious' AI, arguing it's both unfeasible and potentially dangerous.
21 min read 3,140 words
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Galton, Ehrlich, Buck
Scott Alexander explores the ethics of eugenics and population control through fictional debates, comparing historical figures and policies.
37 min read 5,708 words
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Constitutional AI: RLHF On Steroids
Scott Alexander examines Constitutional AI, a new technique for training more ethical AI models, discussing its effectiveness, implications, and limitations for AI alignment.
13 min read 1,946 words
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You Don't Want A Purely Biological, Apolitical Taxonomy Of Mental Disorders
Scott Alexander argues that a purely biological, apolitical taxonomy of mental disorders is impossible due to ethical and practical considerations that inevitably influence classifications.
10 min read 1,456 words
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The Prophet And Caesar's Wife
A satirical series of encounters between a Prophet and various Bishops, exploring the contradictions in religious leadership and public perception.
17 min read 2,576 words
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Why Not Slow AI Progress?
Scott examines why the AI safety community isn't more actively opposing AI development, exploring the complex dynamics between AI capabilities and safety efforts.
20 min read 3,004 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Self-Determination
Scott Alexander discusses various perspectives on self-determination, addressing issues like status quo bias, group rights, and the complexities of applying consistent principles to secession cases.
24 min read 3,625 words
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Information Markets, Decision Markets, Attention Markets, Action Markets
Scott Alexander explores different types of prediction markets, their uses, limitations, and ethical considerations in decision-making and information gathering.
20 min read 3,064 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Kids And Climate Change
Scott responds to various reader comments on his article about having children despite climate change, addressing critiques and expanding on several points.
35 min read 5,387 words
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Welcome Polygenically Screened Babies
Scott Alexander discusses the birth of the first polygenically-screened baby and explores the current and potential future applications of this technology in IVF.
9 min read 1,321 words