Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Utopia on earth and morality without guilt (with Joe Carlsmith)

Aug 11, 2021

In this engaging discussion, Joe Carlsmith, a research analyst at Open Philanthropy and a doctoral student at Oxford, explores the elusive concept of utopia. He probes into our aspirations versus the pitfalls of idealism, emphasizing the need for a dynamic understanding of a shared future. Carlsmith delves into the ethics of existence, raising questions about procreation and its moral implications. He contrasts 'wholehearted morality' with guilt-laden moral frameworks, inviting listeners to rethink ethical engagement, non-attachment, and the intricacies of consciousness.

01:17:08

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Episode guests

Joe Carlsmith

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Utopia: Complexities and Aspirations

15min

The Ethics of Existence and Creation

9min

The Ethics of Existence: Morality in Creating Beings

4min

Contrasting Morality and Guilt

14min

The Complexities of Commitment and Ideological Entanglement

4min

Understanding Clinging in Emotions and Meditation

3min

Letting Go: The Art of Non-Attachment in Meditation and Parenting

9min

Navigating Philosophical Complexities

4min

10.

Navigating the Illusions of Consciousness

15min

Read the full transcript here.

What are some of the challenges of defining utopia? What should a utopia look like? What are concrete versus sublime utopias? What are some of the failure modes related to various conceptions of utopia? Is it really that hard to create a shared, positive vision of the future? What is the value (or disvalue) of creating new people, especially in relation to the utopic or dystopic state of the world? What is "whole-hearted morality" versus "morality-as-taxes"? How can we encourage people to be more moral without harming them psychologically (e.g., by loading them down with guilt)? Which sorts of worldview changes are reversible? Where does clinging fit into the constellation of concepts like valuing, caring, envying, etc.? How does non-attachment differ from indifference? Is clinging always bad? Is philosophy making tangible progress as a field? Is philosophy's primary function to show us how our questions are confused rather than to give us direct answers to our questions? Has philosophy given us a clearer picture of what consciousness is or isn't?

Joe Carlsmith is a research analyst at Open Philanthropy and a doctoral student in philosophy at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on risks to humanity's long-term future. He has a BPhil from Oxford and a BA from Yale, both in philosophy. His website is josephcarlsmith.com, his blog is handsandcities.com, and his Twitter handle is @jkcarlsmith.

Staff

Spencer Greenberg — Host / Director
Josh Castle — Producer
Ryan Kessler — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram — Factotum
Janaisa Baril — Transcriptionist

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