Welcome!
About this blog: The purpose of this blog is to use academic research to drive positive change within and around the effective altruism movement. I’m sympathetic to many of the movement’s starting points, but often disagree with its conclusions. Discussions are long-form and structured around thematic series.
Who might be interested in this blog: Readers interested in AI safety, existential risk, longtermism, effective altruism, global priorities research, rationalism, and related issues.
About me: I’m an academic philosopher at Vanderbilt University. Previously, I was a postdoc at the Global Priorities Institute studying longtermism. Some of my most relevant papers are “Mistakes in the moral mathematics of existential risk,” “High risk, low reward: A challenge to the astronomic value of existential risk mitigation” and “Against the singularity hypothesis.”
Here are some recommended starting points for readers with different interests:
If you’re interested in AI: Read my series on AI risk, the singularity hypothesis and Instrumental convergence and power-seeking.
If you’re interested in pandemic risk: Read my series on biorisk.
If you’re interested in existential risks generally: Read my series exaggerating the risks.
If you’re interested in EA as a movement: Read my series on epistemics, human biodiversity and belonging. (Please note attached content warnings)
If you’d like to explore academic research: Read the series academic papers.