Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Ambition and expected value at extremes (with Habiba Islam)

Sep 21, 2022

In this discussion, Habiba Islam, an advisor at 80,000 Hours and former barrister, explores the balance between ambition and altruism. She tackles how to set lofty career goals while calculating expected values, especially when probabilities become extreme. The conversation highlights the necessity of pragmatic backup plans and community support to navigate risks. Habiba also critiques traditional views in effective altruism, urging a deeper understanding of ethical responsibilities towards future generations, particularly in light of climate change.

01:05:39

Creator website

Episode guests

Habiba Islam

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Ambition and Impact: The Trade-off Dilemma

2min

Navigating Extreme Probabilities

20min

Navigating Ambition: Balancing Risk and Resilience

4min

Navigating Ambition and Success

14min

Embracing Ambition for Greater Impact

3min

Exploring Long-Termism and Moral Frameworks

4min

Ethics of Justice for Future Generations

15min

Navigating Career Advising for Greater Impact

4min

Read the full transcript here.

Are ambition and altruism compatible? How ambitious should we be if we want to do as much good in the world as possible? How should we handle expected values when the probabilities become very small and/or the values of the outcomes become very large? What's a reasonable probability of success for most entrepreneurs to aim for? Are there non-consequentialist justifications for longtermism?

Habiba Islam is an advisor at 80,000 Hours where she talks to people one-on-one, helping them to pursue high impact careers. She previously served as the Senior Administrator for the Future of Humanity Institute and the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford. Before that she qualified as a barrister and worked in management consulting at PwC specialising in operations for public and third sector clients. Follow her on Twitter at @FreshMangoLassi or learn more about her work at 80,000 Hours at 80000hours.org.

Staff

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

Music

Affiliates

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