BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260626T055353EDT-0800blMCEj@132.216.98.100 DTSTAMP:20260626T095353Z 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 ɬ﷬. The seminar will feature a short conference about the paper\, followed by a Q&A discussion. \n\nPlease read the paper prior to the WIP session.\n\nRead the paper: “In Defense of Timidity”\n\nAbstract\n\nLongtermism is the view that individu als and societies ought to prioritize interventions focusing on long-term consequences like mitigating existential risks. Longtermism is supported b y the argument showing that long-term projects have a much higher expected value than short-term projects.\n\nThe comparison faces an issue arising when prospects having tiny probabilities of vast payoffs (long-term prospe cts) have a greater expected value than prospects having a significant pro bability of a modest payoff (short-term prospects). The prospect with a ti ny probability is intuitively so unlikely that it cannot be preferable eve n if it has a higher expected value even though its has a much higher expe cted value.\n\nThere are two plausible views on this issue: recklessness ( favouring long-term prospects) and timidity (favouring short-term prospect s). Both views face many crucial objections.\n\nI defend timidity by expos ing the three main objections to recklessness and adding two new objection s. I then present and respond to timidity's three most significant objecti ons. I argue that a timid discounting view with a range threshold answers two objections and that the last objection can be answered with a slight m odification of the discounting.\n\nI conclude that if timidity is true\, l ongtermism does not hold for individual contributions as their contributio n for the long-term is discountable. Only societies could have a longtermi st 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