“Taking ethics seriously, and enjoying the process” by kuhanj

“Taking ethics seriously, and enjoying the process” by kuhanj

Here's a talk I gave at an EA university group organizers’ retreat recently, which I've been strongly encouraged to share on the forum. I'd like to make it clear I don't recommend or endorse everything discussed in this talk (one example in particular which hopefully will be self-evident), but do think serious shifts in how we engage with ethics and EA would be quite beneficial for the world.

Part 1: Taking ethics seriously

To set context for this talk, I want to go through an Our World in Data style birds-eye view of how things are trending across key issues often discussed in EA. This is to help get better intuitions for questions like “How well will the future go by default?” and “Is the world on track to eventually solve the most pressing problems?” - which can inform high-level strategy questions like “Should we generally be doing more [...]

---

Outline:

(00:32) Part 1: Taking ethics seriously

(04:26) Incentive shifts and moral progress

(05:07) What is incentivized by society?

(07:08) Heroic Responsibility

(11:30) Excerpts from Strangers drowning

(14:37) Opening our eyes to what is unbearable

(18:07) Increasing effectiveness vs. increasing altruism

(20:20) Cognitive dissonance

(21:27) Paragons of moral courage

(23:15) The monk who set himself on fire to protect Buddhism, and didn't flinch an inch

(27:46) What do I most deeply want to honour in this life?

(29:43) Moral Courage and defending EA

(31:55) Acknowledging opportunity cost and grappling with guilt

(33:33) Part 2: Enjoying the process

(33:38) Celebrating what's really beautiful - what our hearts care about

(42:08) Enjoying effective altruism

(44:43) Training our minds to cultivate the qualities we endorse

(46:54) Meditation isnt a silver bullet

(52:35) The timeless words of MLK

---

First published:
October 4th, 2025

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/gWyvAQztk75xQvRxD/taking-ethics-seriously-and-enjoying-the-process

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

---

Images from the article:

Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(250)

“Let’s taboo the V-word” by lincolnq

“Let’s taboo the V-word” by lincolnq

“How long have you been v*g*n?” This is one of the most common icebreakers at animal protection events. It's a baseline assumption, and it mostly holds true: if you’re out advocating for animals not t...

14 Juli 12min

“Giving What We Can’s first  YouTube Video is out now!” by JustinPortela

“Giving What We Can’s first YouTube Video is out now!” by JustinPortela

Hello! I'm Justin Portela. I got hired by GWWC to make YouTube videos after AI in Context did such a kickass job. My channel is using that same cinematic, high-production value beauty to talk about e...

9 Juli 1min

“I’m never satisfied” by Ajeya

“I’m never satisfied” by Ajeya

Note: This post was crossposted from Planned Obsolescence by the Forum team, with the author's permission. The author may not see or respond to comments on this post. But we get the job done I was twe...

8 Juli 6min

“Maybe do the thing you wish CEA would do” by alejoacelas 🔸

“Maybe do the thing you wish CEA would do” by alejoacelas 🔸

I used AI to fix transcription errors, rerrarange the ideas, and suggest tweaks to the title and some sentences. Three of the most exciting projects to come out of EA in recent years are, in a vague s...

8 Juli 4min

“Mabye do the thing you wish CEA would do” by AlejoAcelas🔸

“Mabye do the thing you wish CEA would do” by AlejoAcelas🔸

I used AI to fix transcription errors, rerrarange the ideas, and suggest tweaks to the title and some sentences. Three of the most exciting projects to come out of EA in recent years are, in a vague s...

8 Juli 4min

“Possible mistake EAs are making and shout out to Pause AI UK” by Michelle_Hutchinson

“Possible mistake EAs are making and shout out to Pause AI UK” by Michelle_Hutchinson

I think right now EAs might be making a significant mistake by paying insufficient attention to the political realm. As EAs we tend to figure out what's most impactful for us to work on and focus hard...

29 Juni 6min

“Coming Around To Political Donations” by Jeff Kaufman 🔸

“Coming Around To Political Donations” by Jeff Kaufman 🔸

Five years ago I read a post on the EA Forum arguing that "election campaign contributions might be a way in which you can have a substantial impact as a small donor". It struck me as weird but plausi...

12 Juni 4min

“animal welfare has an evidence problem” by matthes

“animal welfare has an evidence problem” by matthes

Why I stopped donating to animal welfare charities but feel more motivated than ever to redirect money and talent to the cause. I have wanted to write this post for a while. It is an uncomfortable thi...

6 Juni 26min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
aftonbladet-krim
gynning-berg
p3-dokumentar
svenska-fall
en-mork-historia
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
badfluence
tv4-nyheterna-story
aftonbladet-daily
mardromsgasten
hor-har
killradet
flashback-forever
p3-historia
skaringer-nessvold
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
sanna-berattelser
rss-vad-fan-hande
kod-katastrof