There is no such thing as a population ethics that is independent of individual preferences about populations. If you would rather live longer, but also feel like you would prefer the world in general have some population turnover, this conflict is entirely within your own ethical system.
Humans are not utility maximizers, and you’re totally allowed to have difficult and weird problems making ethical choices. But in exchange for this trouble, and this responsibility to live up to your own standards, there’s at least the consolation that if you do your best, that’s sufficient for you. The universe doesn’t judge you, you judge you.
I agree that this is a slightly weird conflict within my own ethical system. The reason that I brought it up here is that this particular conflict follows from a few seemingly plausible claims about marginal value of lives, plus the standard LessWrong beliefs that death (for an individual) and extinction (for our species) are both very bad things. I’m curious whether this is an implicit tension in many people’s views, or whether somebody has found an adequate solution which I’m not yet aware of.
There is no such thing as a population ethics that is independent of individual preferences about populations. If you would rather live longer, but also feel like you would prefer the world in general have some population turnover, this conflict is entirely within your own ethical system.
Humans are not utility maximizers, and you’re totally allowed to have difficult and weird problems making ethical choices. But in exchange for this trouble, and this responsibility to live up to your own standards, there’s at least the consolation that if you do your best, that’s sufficient for you. The universe doesn’t judge you, you judge you.
I agree that this is a slightly weird conflict within my own ethical system. The reason that I brought it up here is that this particular conflict follows from a few seemingly plausible claims about marginal value of lives, plus the standard LessWrong beliefs that death (for an individual) and extinction (for our species) are both very bad things. I’m curious whether this is an implicit tension in many people’s views, or whether somebody has found an adequate solution which I’m not yet aware of.
I can see the appeal of population turnover, but don’t personally find it a persuasive reason to kill people.