Long-termism for risk averse altruists
According to Long-termism, altruistic agents should try to beneficially influence the long-run future, as opposed to aiming at short-term benefits. The likelihood that I can significantly impact the long-term future of humanity seems very small, whereas I can be reasonably confident of achieving significant short-term goods. However, the potential value of the far future is so enormous that even an act with only a tiny probability of preventing an existential catastrophe should apparently be assigned much higher expected value than an alternative that realizes some short-term benefit with near certainty. This talk will explore whether agents who are risk averse should be more or less willing to endorse Long-termism, looking in particular at agents who can be modelled as risk avoidant within the framework of Buchak’s risk-weighted expected utility.
Date: 27 April 2018, 12:00 (Friday, 1st week, Trinity 2018)
Venue: Littlegate House, 16-17 St Ebbe's Street OX1 1PT
Venue Details: Suite 5 - Petrov Room, Littlegate House, 16-17 St Ebbes Street. At the entrance, buzz for the Future of Humanity Institute. Suite 5 is on the 1st floor.
Speakers: Speaker to be announced
Organising department: Faculty of Philosophy
Organisers: Dr Michelle Hutchinson (University of Oxford), Prof Hilary Greaves (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: hayden.wilkinson@philosophy.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Global Priorities Seminars
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Booking email: hayden.wilkinson@philosophy.ox.ac.uk
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Michelle Hutchinson