Cluelessness and rational choice : The case of effective altruism
(2019) In Ethical Perspectives 26(3). p.401-426- Abstract
- This present contribution presents an approach to making rational choices in face of cluelessness, focusing on effective altruism. I begin by illustrating how effective altruism faces the challenge of cluelessness, which implies a particular kind of incompleteness I call practical incompleteness. I then argue that this is not a reason for proponents of effective altruists to become skeptics, but rather that they ought to adjust their views and accept that these are only able to partially determine what they ought to do. I go on to present a decision-making method that can be used together with incomplete normative views such as effective altruism is presented. I conclude with an exploration of the fact that certain decision rules in... (More)
- This present contribution presents an approach to making rational choices in face of cluelessness, focusing on effective altruism. I begin by illustrating how effective altruism faces the challenge of cluelessness, which implies a particular kind of incompleteness I call practical incompleteness. I then argue that this is not a reason for proponents of effective altruists to become skeptics, but rather that they ought to adjust their views and accept that these are only able to partially determine what they ought to do. I go on to present a decision-making method that can be used together with incomplete normative views such as effective altruism is presented. I conclude with an exploration of the fact that certain decision rules in combination with incomplete principles imply that dominated sequences of choices are considered rational, and suggest that one plausible approach to avoid this problem is to provide space for agent-centered reasons. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/354ef978-a728-4bc6-9a70-8ea994415113
- author
- Herlitz, Anders LU
- publishing date
- 2019
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Ethical Perspectives
- volume
- 26
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 401 - 426
- publisher
- Peeters Publishers
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85082527048
- ISSN
- 1370-0049
- DOI
- 10.2143/EP.26.3.3287340
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 354ef978-a728-4bc6-9a70-8ea994415113
- date added to LUP
- 2024-12-10 14:54:05
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 15:31:53
@article{354ef978-a728-4bc6-9a70-8ea994415113,
abstract = {{This present contribution presents an approach to making rational choices in face of cluelessness, focusing on effective altruism. I begin by illustrating how effective altruism faces the challenge of cluelessness, which implies a particular kind of incompleteness I call practical incompleteness. I then argue that this is not a reason for proponents of effective altruists to become skeptics, but rather that they ought to adjust their views and accept that these are only able to partially determine what they ought to do. I go on to present a decision-making method that can be used together with incomplete normative views such as effective altruism is presented. I conclude with an exploration of the fact that certain decision rules in combination with incomplete principles imply that dominated sequences of choices are considered rational, and suggest that one plausible approach to avoid this problem is to provide space for agent-centered reasons.}},
author = {{Herlitz, Anders}},
issn = {{1370-0049}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{401--426}},
publisher = {{Peeters Publishers}},
series = {{Ethical Perspectives}},
title = {{Cluelessness and rational choice : The case of effective altruism}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2143/EP.26.3.3287340}},
doi = {{10.2143/EP.26.3.3287340}},
volume = {{26}},
year = {{2019}},
}