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Ethics is far from useless. It has important connections to open issues in society and e.g. birthed the effective altruism movement. Metaphysics is useless sim

Ethics is far from useless. It has important connections to open issues in society and e.g. birthed the effective altruism movement. Metaphysics is useless similar to any foundational research. Theoretical (as opposed to applied) mathematics is also largely useless. Nobody expects to use transfinite set theory in practice. Or the cosmology of the early universe, for that matter. Or an interpretation of quantum mechanics. A lot of non-foundational research is also useless. Research on the evolutionary origins of the ichthyosaurs. Or the surface properties of Pluto.

Nasrudith 3y ago
The problem with Ethics is largely the same as the problem with the church that cost it all moral authority: despite being held up as the source of morality/ethical behavior it fails at actually promoting it. With that failure the open secret is that they are a side-show or distraction from actual power where the decisions, dodgy or otherwise get made. Ethics professor scandals in particular are a case which highlights the problem. While there may be sincere examples the scandal ridden ones are like cynical constitutional law professors: they clearly studied it to try to find loopholes around it instead of to uphold it. Despite that the field of Ethics has vast theoretical potential in one subarea: understanding of incentives, including perverse ones and how to properly craft systems of them. "Alignment" is the buzzword for the latest moral panic about AI. One of the many problems with it aside is that humans sure as hell aren't aligned. See corruption for an example of what bad systems get you.
dventimi 3y ago
> Ethics is far from useless. It has important connections to open issues in society and e.g. birthed the effective altruism movement. That's not a great track record. https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/sam-bankman-fried-effective-altruism-and-the-question-of-complicity https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/sam-bankman...
- GoblinSlayer 3y ago
  >The elementary tenet of effective altruism - that privileged Westerners could be doing considerably more good in the world than most of us do Unironically privileged Westerners could be doing considerably more good in the world by protecting their freedoms in their own lives, egoism would be much more effective there.
  - dventimi 3y ago
    Hogwash. Egoism isn't what's in short supply. EMPATHY is what's in short supply.
    - GoblinSlayer 3y ago
      It's the case when good intentions pave the road to hell. Intentions are fine, but what's really in short supply are good outcomes.

Nasrudith 3y ago

The problem with Ethics is largely the same as the problem with the church that cost it all moral authority: despite being held up as the source of morality/ethical behavior it fails at actually promoting it. With that failure the open secret is that they are a side-show or distraction from actual power where the decisions, dodgy or otherwise get made. Ethics professor scandals in particular are a case which highlights the problem. While there may be sincere examples the scandal ridden ones are like cynical constitutional law professors: they clearly studied it to try to find loopholes around it instead of to uphold it. Despite that the field of Ethics has vast theoretical potential in one subarea: understanding of incentives, including perverse ones and how to properly craft systems of them. "Alignment" is the buzzword for the latest moral panic about AI. One of the many problems with it aside is that humans sure as hell aren't aligned. See corruption for an example of what bad systems get you.

dventimi 3y ago

> Ethics is far from useless. It has important connections to open issues in society and e.g. birthed the effective altruism movement. That's not a great track record. https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/sam-bankman-fried-effective-altruism-and-the-question-of-complicity https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/sam-bankman...

GoblinSlayer 3y ago
>The elementary tenet of effective altruism - that privileged Westerners could be doing considerably more good in the world than most of us do Unironically privileged Westerners could be doing considerably more good in the world by protecting their freedoms in their own lives, egoism would be much more effective there.
- dventimi 3y ago
  Hogwash. Egoism isn't what's in short supply. EMPATHY is what's in short supply.
  - GoblinSlayer 3y ago
    It's the case when good intentions pave the road to hell. Intentions are fine, but what's really in short supply are good outcomes.