doing good meta: a moral uncertainty discussion group

“I want to help as many sentient animals as possible, but it's very unclear to me whether (and how) invertebrates are sentient - where should I donate and what should I eat?” and “I’m uncertain about whether earning to give in certain industries is morally permissible, but my favourite charities urgently need funding - how should I proceed?” People often apply their preferred ethical theory, justified through esoteric thought experiments and abstract principles, to questions like these. Unfortunately, ethics is hard, people are often overconfident, and we want to make good decisions even if we're uncertain about specific ethical claims. In this group, we try to work out what this all means for thorny issues faced by those who want to help as many people as possible, and how we can still make progress without "solving ethics".

Prior engagement / agreement with EA isn't necessary for this group, although you might find the discussion less useful if you find these four principles unappealing or fundamentally incompatible with your values.

Please feel free to reach out to james.lester@balliol.ox.ac.uk with any questions :))