Philosopher RY Chappell: ordinary discount rates break longtermist moral math
AaronBergman18 · x · 2026-09-19
Philosopher Richard Chappell amplifies the observation that longtermist moral math doesn't survive an ordinary discount rate, pushing it to a reductio: standard discounting implies we should torture galaxies of future people in exchange for an extra lollipop today. The exchange critiques how longtermism/EA circles often dodge discount rates—a substantive debate relevant to AI value alignment and longtermist risk arguments.
Related event: Longtermism's moral math challenged by ordinary discount rates(3 posts)→
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