BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4//
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:20250820T014108EDT-98640mU8kL@132.216.98.100
DTSTAMP:20250820T054108Z
DESCRIPTION:This work-in-progress seminar will feature 'In Defense of Timid
 ity'\, a paper about effective altruism and longtermism by Keven Bisson\, 
 a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ. The seminar will 
 feature a short conference about the paper\, followed by a Q&A discussion.
  Please read the paper prior to the WIP session.\n\nRead the paper\n\nAbst
 ract: \n\nLongtermism is the view that individuals and societies ought to 
 prioritize interventions focusing on long-term consequences like mitigatin
 g existential risks. Longtermism is supported by the argument showing that
  long-term projects have a much higher expected value than short-term proj
 ects.\n\nThe comparison faces an issue arising when prospects having tiny 
 probabilities of vast payoffs (long-term prospects) have a greater expecte
 d value than prospects having a significant probability of a modest payoff
  (short-term prospects). The prospect with a tiny probability is intuitive
 ly so unlikely that it cannot be preferable even if it has a higher expect
 ed value even though its has a much higher expected value.\n\nThere are tw
 o plausible views on this issue: recklessness (favouring long-term prospec
 ts) and timidity (favouring short-term prospects). Both views face many cr
 ucial objections.\n\nI defend timidity by exposing the three main objectio
 ns to recklessness and adding two new objections. I then present and respo
 nd to timidity's three most significant objections. I argue that a timid d
 iscounting view with a range threshold answers two objections and that the
  last objection can be answered with a slight modification of the discount
 ing.\n\nI conclude that if timidity is true\, longtermism does not hold fo
 r individual contributions as their contribution for the long-term is disc
 ountable. Only societies could have a longtermist duty.\n
DTSTART:20240130T180000Z
DTEND:20240130T190000Z
LOCATION:Room 927\, Leacock Building\, CA\, QC\, Montreal\, H3A 2T7\, 855\,
  rue Sherbrooke Ouest
SUMMARY:Work-in-Progress Session: 'In Defense of Timidity'- Effective Altru
 ism and Longtermism
URL:/jarislowsky-chair/channels/event/work-progress-se
 ssion-defense-timidity-effective-altruism-and-longtermism-354498
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR