Speaking as a part-time rationalist, it is not a rationalist position that there is such a thing as "bad goals". At most there may be inconsistent goals. The Ut

Speaking as a part-time rationalist, it is not a rationalist position that there is such a thing as "bad goals". At most there may be inconsistent goals. The Utility Function Is Not Up For Grabs https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/the-utility-function-is-not-up-for-grabs https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/the-utility-function-is-not-up... . If under your goals living in California is optimal, then it is rational to live in California. The point of, for instance, EA is not that giving to homeless people in New York when there's starving children in Africa is a bad goal- it's that it's an inconsistent goal when one also professes that human lives have equal value. And when one wants to live by that tenet, then EA offers better routes to optimizing lives saved.