Ethics, Technology, and the Future

Catalog description

This course explores ethical longtermism and related issues in value theory, intergenerational ethics, and the ethics of catastrophic risk. Longtermism is the view that what we ought to do is mostly determined by the long-term effects of our actions. It grew out of the Effective Altruism movement, which is all about doing the most good with limited resources. According to many longtermists, avoiding extinction and other large-scale catastrophes, like global totalitarianism or the collapse of modern industrialized civilization, turns out to be far more morally important than near-term priorities like curing disease or alleviating poverty. The view is understandably controversial. This course explores the case for longtermism, alternative ways of thinking about what is at stake in humanity's future, and a range of applied issues, like climate change, AI, and nuclear war.