Sam Harris speaks with Michael Plant about the philosophy of happiness and effective altruism. They discuss the nature of well-being, Nozick's "Experience Machine" thought experiment, the validity of self-reported happiness data, the conflict between the experiencing self and the remembering self, Derek Parfit's "Repugnant Conclusion," the disconnect between moral intentions and consequences, why treating depression is more impactful than cash, the massive disparities in charitable impact, the potential effects of AI on human flourishing, the meaning crisis in a post-work future, and other topics.
Dr. Michael Plant is a philosopher. He's the Founder and Director of the Happier Lives Institute, where he and his team use well-being science to identify the best ways to improve global happiness. HLI provides charity recommendations and advises philanthropists and policymakers on how to maximize their impact. Michael also serves as a Research Fellow at Oxford University's Wellbeing Research Centre. He has a PhD in Philosophy from Oxford, where he was supervised by Peter Singer, and he's a co-author of the 2025 World Happiness Report.
Website: www.happierlivesinstitute.org
X: @MichaelDPlant
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