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Document Details : Title: Cluelessness and Rational Choice Subtitle: The Case of Effective Altruism Author(s): HERLITZ, Anders Journal: Ethical Perspectives Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Date: 2019 Pages: 401-426 DOI: 10.2143/EP.26.3.3287340 Abstract : This present contribution presents an approach to making rational choices in face of cluelessness, focusing on effective altruism. I begin by illustrating how effective altruism faces the challenge of cluelessness, which implies a particular kind of incompleteness I call practical incompleteness. I then argue that this is not a reason for proponents of effective altruists to become skeptics, but rather that they ought to adjust their views and accept that these are only able to partially determine what they ought to do. I go on to present a decision-making method that can be used together with incomplete normative views such as effective altruism is presented. I conclude with an exploration of the fact that certain decision rules in combination with incomplete principles imply that dominated sequences of choices are considered rational, and suggest that one plausible approach to avoid this problem is to provide space for agent-centered reasons. |
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