EAG Talks The Moral Circle: insects, AI systems, and other beings who might matter | Jeff Sebo | EAG Bay Area 2025
Which nonhumans matter, how much do they matter, and what do we owe them in a world reshaped by human activity? In this talk, Jeff Sebo argues that humanity should include all potentially significant beings in our moral community, with transformative implications for our lives and societies. He then examines a variety of questions that humanity will confront regarding creation ethics and population ethics. For example, should we accept the “rebugnant conclusion” that large groups of small beings matter more than small groups of large beings? Either way, what follows for our policies and priorities, at present and in the future?Jeff Sebo is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy, and Co-Director of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at New York University. His research focuses on animal minds, ethics, and policy; AI minds, ethics, and policy; and global health and climate ethics and policy.He is the author of The Moral Circle and Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights and Food, Animals, and the Environment. He is also a board member at Minding Animals International, an advisory board member at the Insect Welfare Research Society, and a senior affiliate at the Institute for Law & AI. In 2024 Vox included him on its Future Perfect 50 list of "thinkers, innovators, and changemakers who are working to make the future a better place."