(Listen to other episodes of Conversations from the Pale Blue Dot here.)
Today I interview Nick Beckstead about morality and global catastrophic risk assessment. Nick also responds to Eliezer Yudkowsky’s criticisms of philosophy.
Download CPBD episode 087 with Nick Beckstead. Total time is 47:51.
Nick Beckstead links:
Links for things we discussed:
- Global Catastrophic Risks
- Derek Parfit, Reasons and Persons
- John Broome
- Nick Bostrom
- Jan Narveson
- Giving What We Can
- Toby Ord
- Stop TB Partnership
- Peter Singer
- Eliezer Yudkowsky and his dim view of philosophy
- Sturgeon’s Law
- Pearl’s reduction of causality, Barbour’s reduction of time
- Larry Temkin and Gustaf Arrhenius
- Ladyman, Every Thing Must Go
- Compatibilism
- Michael Smith
- Formal epistemology
- David Albert and Barry Loewer
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks, as ever, Luke, for another fine interview. I hope you will consider trying to obtain an interview with David Benatar, whose work closely relates to topics raised in this one, as well as to the most fundamental concerns of your blog. Also, how about Leiter on his forthcoming book (and, of course, Nietzsche)?
Rob(Quote)
Great interview, Luke. When (*not* if!) you follow up on Nick’s suggestion to invite Toby Ord, make sure to talk about his paper “The Scourge”: http://amirrorclear.net/academic/papers/scourge.pdf
Alex(Quote)
I think that the philosophical literature on personal identity could have helped Yudkowsky out a lot. His views seem pretty naive and incoherent to me, but maybe that’s just not one of his concerns. He started talking about personal identity at around 39 minutes when he debated Massimo Pigliucci about the singularity.
http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/28165
Daniel(Quote)
perhaps you should link the “Give What We Can” website:
http://www.givingwhatwecan.org/rutgers/advisory.php
I am positive that people could get things like this to take off in more universities. Definitely a project for the future.
Caleb O(Quote)
Caleb O,
Thanks. Added.
Luke Muehlhauser(Quote)
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