In this intriguing conversation, Erik Hoel, a neuroscientist and former Tufts professor, discusses the intricacies of moral truth and its relevance to effective altruism. He explores the challenges of moral philosophy in a complex world and critiques the limitations of consequentialism. The ethical implications of AI are dissected, questioning whether machine consciousness could reshape our understanding of morality. Hoel also highlights the perils of moral fanaticism and the importance of balancing emotions and rationality in ethical decision-making.
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Bookstore Beginnings
Erik Hoel sold Sam Harris's books in his mother's bookstore.
The bookstore, Jabberwocky Books, is in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
insights INSIGHT
Path to Neuroscience
Erik Hoel's interest in consciousness led him to a PhD in neuroscience.
He worked on integrated information theory with Giulio Tononi.
insights INSIGHT
Substack Transition
Erik Hoel transitioned from a professorship at Tufts to writing full-time.
He views Substack as a new literary genre.
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In this book, William MacAskill advocates for longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority. He argues that future people count, there could be many of them, and we can make their lives better. MacAskill discusses various threats to humanity, including climate change, AI misalignment, and pandemics, and proposes strategies to ensure civilization's survival and improve its trajectory. The book explores moral and philosophical issues surrounding longtermism, including the risks of human extinction, civilizational collapse, and technological stagnation, while offering a measured optimism about the future's potential for human flourishing[1][5][4].
The End Of Faith
Sam Harris
In this book, Sam Harris delivers a critical analysis of the clash between reason and religious faith in the modern world. He argues that religious beliefs, even moderate ones, can lead to dangerous consequences, such as terrorism, and that these beliefs are not grounded in empirical evidence. Harris draws on insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and Eastern mysticism to propose a secular and humanistic foundation for ethics and spirituality. The book is a call to action against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics and advocates for a rational approach to ethics based on human happiness and suffering.
Sam Harris speaks with Erik Hoel about the nature of moral truth. They discuss the connection between consequentialism and Effective Altruism, the problems with implementing academic moral philosophy, bad arguments against consequentialism, the implications of AI for our morality, the dangers of moral certainty, whether all claims about good and evil are claims about consequences, the problem of moral fanaticism, difficulty in thinking about low-probability events, and other topics.
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Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.
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