David Pearce - Effective Altruism & the End of Suffering - EA Global Melbourne 2015
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Transcript of David Pearce - Effective Altruism & the End of Suffering - EA Global Melbourne 2015
What is InEffective Altruism?
Rescuing cats, only to rescue the mice from the cats.
What is InEffective Altruism?The Hedonic Treadmill
What is InEffective Altruism?What is the point?
What is InEffective Altruism?Cheered up and locked in
Rousseau MC, Baumstarcj K, Alessandrini M, Blandi B, de Villemeur TB, Auquier P. “Quality of life in patients with locked-in syndrome: evolution over a 6-year period.”Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2015;10:88.
What is InEffective Altruism?Negative Utilitarianism
“I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering.”
What is InEffective Altruism?Negative Utilitarianism
What is InEffective Altruism?Benatar’s Anti-Natalism
• Adoption the responsible choice?
• Voluntary childlessness?
• Selection pressure against predisposition for responsible behaviour!
• Ending the world through voluntary childlessness is not sociologically credible.
What is InEffective Altruism?Moral Persuasion
“Meat eating is immoral.”“But I like the taste!”
What is InEffective Altruism?Conservation Biology
The tragic story of Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion shot by American dentist Walter Palmer, took an incredible twist Wednesday afternoon as it was revealed Cecil had murdered and EATEN hundreds of innocent wildebeest and zebras over the past decade.…“He was a terrifying figure,” said the zebra, visibly shaking and eating some grass. “All of us were scared to go near him ‘cos we knew about his reputation. He once ate one of my cousins when he was on a school trip, and a rhino once told me that he followed a buffalo for miles and killed him for a laugh and then just fell asleep in the sun, yawning every now and then. How do you do that when you’ve just killed someone?”
http://wearerightabouteverything.com/2015/07/29/shock-as-cecil-the-lions-murderous-past-is-revealed/
“Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering - and it's all over
much too soon.”~ Woody Allen
The End of Suffering
The End of SufferingPreimplantation Screening
What is preimplantation screening?
Planned parenthood…• SCN9A gene• COMT gene• ADA2b deletion variant• Serotonin transporter gene
The End of SufferingWhy recalibrate?
• Meta-ethically neutralutilitarians, deontologists, religious or any other can get on board.
• Preference neutralNot sold any particular version of utopia
• High functioningPreserve motivation, critical insight, intellectual progress, social responsibility, etc.
• “Natural”No genetic engineering – nature at its best
The End of SufferingDefeating Factory Farms
The End of SufferingHi-Tech Jainism
Towards the abolition of suffering through science.• Triple-S civilisation:
o Super Intelligenceo Super Longevityo Super Happiness
• End wild animal suffering• The ultimate victory condition: a universe full of
peak experience
The End of SufferingHigh-Impact Cause Areas
• Medical genetics – CRISPR revolution• End factory farms – Non-human animal
QALYs to be reclaimed an order of magnitude greater
• Psychopharmacology research – unexplored frontier
• Campaigning for universal access to preimplantation screening
