In this lecture we will learn about our unprecedented ability to impact the lives of thousands of people or more. We will cover basic principles in moral theory, and familiarize ourselves with some of the most impactful interventions in history in improving the world – and also some that made it worse. Finally, we will discuss the course goals and requirements.
Additional reading:
In this lecture we will acquire some preliminary tools that help answer the question “what works?”, and familiarize ourselves with the importance of measurement, evaluation, and feedback. Furthermore, we will study our first cause area – global poverty and health.
Additional reading:
In this lecture we’ll get to know advanced decision-making tools that can tackle the complexities of reality – including when we have uncertainty about the outcome of our actions. We will also discuss what impact really means. Finally, we will present concrete research tools for assessing real-world impact in complex circumstances.
Additional reading:
Who deserves moral consideration, or even our personal concern? How has the answer to this question changed throughout human history, and what can we deduce from this about how our descendants will see our current moral perceptions? In this lesson we will address these questions, and dive into the issue of animal rights and how to act in this cause area effectively.
Additional reading:
The future of humanity may be longer, larger, and (hopefully) better than all of human history so far. Do we have moral obligations towards people in the future, and if so what are the implications of this for our actions today? In this lesson we will explore one of the most interesting and significant developments in ethics in recent years – longtermism, an approach with surprising conclusions.
Additional reading:
From nuclear weapons, through epidemics, artificial intelligence, and all the way to climate change – humanity has found a wide variety of ways to destroy itself. Could securing a future for our descendants be the most important thing that we can do? In this lesson we’ll discuss the importance of reducing existential risk, and what (if anything) can be done about it.
Additional reading:
To celebrate completing half of the course, we will deviate from the standard format of our lessons and embark on a hands-on experience – the content of which will be a surprise. We especially recommended not missing out on real-time participation in this lesson, and arriving ready for active participation.
Additional reading:
In this lesson we will deep-dive into the field of climate change. We’ll understand why many see this problem as the most important challenge of the 21st century, and compare this domain to other cause areas according to different moral views. We will also utilize this discussion as a case study for making impact-focused decisions, initiating new projects, and prioritizing real-world interventions under significant uncertainty and complexity.
Additional reading:
How can we improve the future even if we don’t understand it, or if we have significant uncertainty about what’s important? In this lesson we’ll deal with interventions that improve society and its institutions more broadly, and will successfully contribute to society even under a wide variety of circumstances and moral views. Additionally, we’ll go over the requirements of the course’s final paper.
Further reading:
So far we’ve been dealing with a lot of empirical uncertainty – we don’t always know what will happen and what will work. In this lesson we will deal with the problem of moral uncertainty – when we don’t know with certainty what are the correct moral principles (and whether they even exist). We will examine different approaches, while discussing one of the most important open-ended questions in modern ethics.
Additional reading:
In order to rely on existing research and previous work, we need to know how to combine different sources of information. In this lesson we will deal with questions including how to know who to trust, what types of information can be integrated, and what to do when different sources disagree. Additionally, we’ll conduct a guided exercise in which we’ll put these principles into practice together.
Additional reading:
Tools we discussed in class:
How do you choose a career with significant positive impact, and successfully follow through? In this lesson we will learn tools for analyzing the impact of different career paths, while examining which career paths are a good fit for you as an individual, and learning several tools that can help advance your career in almost any field.
Additional reading:
Tools we discussed in class:
In this final lesson we will discuss what you can do today to set yourself on a path towards significant impact, and specifically how to utilize your years at university towards this goal. We’ll also have a Q&A about the final paper, and life in general. Finally, we’ll conclude the course and discuss how you can stay involved with impact-focused organizations (for those of you who are interested).
Applied Ethics Course 