Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46
Effective altruism is an intellectual and social movement seeking to use reason and evidence to identify how to do most good, then doing it. In this course we will examine effective altruism’s philosophical underpinnings, its practical consequences, areas of debate and development, as well as examining the views of its critics. Questions to be addressed include: Are we obliged to give away all our excess wealth to those who are worse off? What kinds of impact do different kinds of charitable giving have? Is overseas aid effective at all? How can one do most good with one’s career? Should one seek to minimise existential risk, such as the risk from misaligned artificial intelligence, nuclear warfare or engineered pandemics? Is it right to prioritise the wellbeing of humans who are currently alive over those who will live in the distant future, or is this just an unjustified, short-termist bias? Does doing the most good involve addressing the harm done to animals? And how should we deal with the high uncertainty (or outright cluelessness) regarding the far-future effects of our actions today?
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Effective altruism is an intellectual and social movement seeking to use reason and evidence to identify how to do most good, then doing it. In this course we will examine effective altruism’s philosophical underpinnings, its practical consequences, areas of debate and development, as well as examining the views of its critics. Questions to be addressed include: Are we obliged to give away all our excess wealth to those who are worse off? What kinds of impact do different kinds of charitable giving have? Is overseas aid effective at all? How can one do most good with one’s career? Should one seek to minimise existential risk, such as the risk from misaligned artificial intelligence, nuclear warfare or engineered pandemics? Is it right to prioritise the wellbeing of humans who are currently alive over those who will live in the distant future, or is this just an unjustified, short-termist bias? Does doing the most good involve addressing the harm done to animals? And how should we deal with the high uncertainty (or outright cluelessness) regarding the far-future effects of our actions today?
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 32 | Feedback Weeks | 35 | |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided via MyAberdeen’s SafeAssign system. |
Word Count | 2000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the EA literature, including a thorough grasp of the variety of views in this category, the nuanced differences between them and variations in aims and recommended actions. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of EA, its main tenets, variations of the view, and some of the key notions at the heart of these. |
| Procedural | Create | Learn to frame arguments and to communicate arguments to a group of peers after careful reflection on their strengths & weaknesses and on the best way to make these clear and coherent to the audience |
| Reflection | Create | Develop proficiency in written and oral communication skills through class participation and assessment completion. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop critical thinking skills pertaining to practical questions about how to do most good, and apply these to the principles and theories underpinning effective altruist views |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 45 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 38 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided via MyAberdeen’s SafeAssign system |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of EA, its main tenets, variations of the view, and some of the key notions at the heart of these. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the EA literature, including a thorough grasp of the variety of views in this category, the nuanced differences between them and variations in aims and recommended actions. |
| Procedural | Create | Learn to frame arguments and to communicate arguments to a group of peers after careful reflection on their strengths & weaknesses and on the best way to make these clear and coherent to the audience |
| Reflection | Create | Develop proficiency in written and oral communication skills through class participation and assessment completion. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop critical thinking skills pertaining to practical questions about how to do most good, and apply these to the principles and theories underpinning effective altruist views |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 27,28,29,30,32,33,34,35 | Feedback Weeks | 27,28,29,30,32,33,34,35 | |
| Feedback |
Each quiz worth 2.5%. Correct solutions provided after due date. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of EA, its main tenets, variations of the view, and some of the key notions at the heart of these. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the EA literature, including a thorough grasp of the variety of views in this category, the nuanced differences between them and variations in aims and recommended actions. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 42 | Feedback Weeks | 45 | |
| Feedback |
Via MyAberdeen SafeAssign |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire and demonstrate knowledge of EA, its main tenets, variations of the view, and some of the key notions at the heart of these. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Acquire an understanding of the EA literature, including a thorough grasp of the variety of views in this category, the nuanced differences between them and variations in aims and recommended actions. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop critical thinking skills pertaining to practical questions about how to do most good, and apply these to the principles and theories underpinning effective altruist views |
| Reflection | Create | Develop proficiency in written and oral communication skills through class participation and assessment completion. |
| Procedural | Create | Learn to frame arguments and to communicate arguments to a group of peers after careful reflection on their strengths & weaknesses and on the best way to make these clear and coherent to the audience |
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