PHV462 Utilitarianism, effective altruism and longtermism

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Friderik Klampfer (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Radim Bělohrad, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Radim Bělohrad, Ph.D.
Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 27. 11. 8:00–9:40 A11, Tue 28. 11. 8:00–9:40 A11, Wed 29. 11. 8:00–9:40 A11, Thu 30. 11. 8:00–9:40 K21, Fri 1. 12. 8:00–9:40 L11
Prerequisites
Fluent English
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course provides an introduction to longtermism, a philosophical view that ascribes the highest moral priority to the well-being of future generations of human beings. Students will explore the philosophical origins of longtermism, its epistemic and metaphysical commitments and core ethical principles as well as its implications for decision-making on both an individual and collective level.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will master the concept of a future-oriented, long- term moral perspective and appreciate both its significance and complexity; become aware of the most pressing challenges facing humanity, as well as existential risks threatening its survival, from natural disasters and climate change to technological inventions and societal collapse; be able to analyse, evaluate, and apply a longtermist mode of thinking to complex social problems; be able to evaluate proposed solutions and unavoidable trade-offs; be able to situate a longtermist moral outlook in relation to its intellectual forefathers and main theoretical rivals and come to see its comparative advantages as well as potential shortcomings.
Syllabus
  • Session 1: Longtermism, Its Philosophical Origins and Intellectual Debts (2 hours)
  • - Utilitarianism/consequentialism
  • - Affective Altruism
  • - Discounting the future vs. time-neutrality
  • - The Principle of equal moral consideration (across generations)
  • Reading List: (at least two of the following)
  • Tim Mulgan: Future People. A Moderate Consequentialist Account of Our Obligations to Future Generations. (the introductory chapter)
  • Tyler Cowen & Derek Parfit: Against the Social Discount Rate. In Peter Laslett & James S. Fishkin (eds.). Justice Between Age Groups and Generations. Yale, 1992.
  • Peter Singer: How to Do the Most Good (Chapter 2 of his book The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically)
  • Session 2: Longtermism, the Basics (2 hours)
  • - Existential risks, definition, taxonomy and rankings
  • - The moral (and prudential) case for Longtermism
  • - Varieties of Longtermism (Weak and Strong, Individual and Institutional, Axiological and Deontic)
  • - Overcoming cognitive biases and short-term thinking
  • - Longtermism and population ethics
  • - Longtermism and climate change
  • - Priorities and trade-offs
  • Reading List: (at least two of the following)
  • Nick Bostrom (2013). Existential Risk Prevention as Global Priority. Global Policy 4(1):15–31.
  • Toby Ord: Existential Risk (Chapter 2 of his book The Precipice. Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity)
  • William MacAskill: The Case for Longtermism (Chapter 1 of his book What We Owe to the Future) or
  • William MacAskill & Hilary Greaves: The Case for Strong Longtermism. GPI Working paper No. 5-2021.
  • Session 3: Longtermism. Its Theoretical and Practical Implications (2 hours)
  • - ‘Moral revolution’
  • - Career-path and life-style changes
  • - Political activism and collective action
  • - Rethinking existing soci(et)al priorities and/or policies
  • - New institutional arrangements and/or system reforms
  • - The need for a revision of theory
  • Reading List: (at least two of the following)
  • Toby Ord: Safeguarding Humanity (Chapter 7 of his book The Precipice. Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity)
  • William MacAskill: What to Do (Chapter 10 of his book What We Owe the Future)
  • Andreas T. Schmidt & Jacob Barrett: Longtermist Political Philosophy. An Agenda for Future Research. In Essays on Longtermism, edited by Jacob Barrett, David Thorstad, and Hilary Greaves. Oxford: Oxford University Press (in press).
  • Session 4: Critiques of Longtermism (2 hours)
  • - Scope of factual and moral uncertainty
  • - Speculative risk assessment
  • - Indeterminable future vs. determinable present
  • - Defective (‘God's eye’) moral epistemology and model of moral reflection
  • - Impoverished, myopic moral outlook
  • - Implausible population ethics
  • - Twisted moral mathematics
  • - Individualist moral methodology and advice
  • - The charge of complicity and moral bankruptcy
  • Reading List:
  • Alice Crary: The Toxic Ideology of Longtermism. Radical Philosophy, 2.14 (2023), pp. 49- 57.
  • Emma Curran: Longtermism and the Complaints of Future People. In Essays on Longtermism, edited by Jacob Barrett, David Thorstad, and Hilary Greaves. Oxford: Oxford University Press (in press).
  • Kieran Setiya: The New Moral Mathematics. Boston Review, August 15 2022.
Teaching methods
The course will be delivered in the form of lectures, complemented by case studies and class discussions. Students are expected to complete assigned readings, actively engage in discussions and pass/take an online test.
Assessment methods
An online test taken in class.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: předmět je vyučován blokově.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2023/PHV462