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Open for Debate

Choosing a future for humanity: effective altruism and longtermism: Part 1

Posted on 15 November 2021 by Richard Pettigrew

At one time, not so long ago, it was the mosquito nets. If you wished to give to £100 to charity, and you wanted your donation to do as much good as it could, the researchers who investigate the effectiveness of different modes of philanthropy concluded that you should donate to the Against Malaria Foundation
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Open for Debate

Nudging for Changing Selves

Posted on 1 November 2021 by Richard Pettigrew

When we go into a car showroom and we’re greeted by a series of sales assistants, one after the other, we tend to end up buying from the first person we met when we came in the door. And when we don’t have a strong preference between a range of political candidates on a ballot,
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Open for Debate

Choosing for Changing Selves

Posted on 18 October 2021 by Richard Pettigrew

Our values change. What we want, value, prefer, desire, and how much; for nearly everyone, these will be different at different times in their lives. Perhaps when you were younger, you valued a life of action more than the life of the mind, but now you value intellectual pursuits above practical ones. Perhaps now you
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Open for Debate

Mill and Ideal Theory

Posted on 4 October 2021 by Robin McKenna

John thinks that facemasks, social distancing and other public health measures are necessary to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic. He is aware that some disagree with him about this. But he hasn’t spent any time looking at their reasons for disagreeing. Should he spend time engaging with them and their arguments? Or should he
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