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Writing – Simon Knutsson
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Ethics (or other areas of philosophy)
Ethical analysis of purported risks and disasters involving suffering, extinction, or a lack of positive value. Journal of Ethics and Emerging Technologies 35:2. 2025. Free official version ; PDF .
Introduction to suffering-focused ethics . With Magnus Vinding. August 22, 2024.Answers in population ethics were published long ago . April 19, 2024.My moral view: Reducing suffering, ‘how to be’ as fundamental to morality, no positive value, cons of grand theory, and more . August 23, 2023.Roger Thisdell on undisturbedness, positive experiences, and the hedonic peak . February 17, 2023.Philosophical Pessimism: Varieties, Importance, and What to Do . The Blog of the American Philosophical Association. Sep. 13, 2022.Undisturbedness as the hedonic ceiling . September 2, 2022; last updated 3 June 2023.Pessimism about the value of the future and the welfare of present and future beings based on their acts and traits . Aug. 25, 2022.Permissible moderate paths to human extinction . 2022.In support of talking about pessimism, antinatalism, negative utilitarianism, etc. 2020.Many-valued Logic and Sequence Arguments in Value Theory . Published online 2021 in Synthese . Free official version ; preprint .The World Destruction Argument. Inquiry , 64:10, 1004-1023. 2021. Free official version ; preprint with extra material .
Epicurean ideas about pleasure, pain, good and bad . 2019.Lars Bergström on pessimism, ethics, consequentialism, Ingemar Hedenius, and quantifying well-being . 2019.Reply to Shulman’s “Are Pain and Pleasure Equally Energy-Efficient?” 2017.How Could an Empty World Be Better than a Populated One? 2016. Translations: Español , Русский Measuring happiness and suffering . 2016.Value lexicality . 2016.What is the difference between weak negative and non-negative ethical views? 2016.Thoughts on Ord’s “Why I’m Not a Negative Utilitarian” . 2016.The One-Paragraph Case for Suffering-Focused Ethics . 2016.Effective Altruism and Ethics . Published 2016 but work in progress.The Seriousness of Suffering: Supplement . 2015.The ‘Asymmetry’ and extinction thought experiments . 2015.
Philosophy career and PhD programs
Animal ethics and effective animal advocacy
Other
Conversation notes
GiveWell: Elie Hassenfeld, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director , March 16, 2014
Bailey Norwood: Associate Professor at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University , e-mail exchange about his US farm animal welfare scores, July 2013The Humane League: Nick Cooney, Founder and Board Member , e-mail exchange Feb 2012
Vegan Outreach: Matt Ball, Executive Director , e-mail exchange Jan/Feb 2012
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA):
Ryan Huling, Manager of College Campaigns & Outreach at peta2, PETA US , e-mail exchange where I request evidence of impact, Feb 5, 2012Ryan Huling, Manager of College Campaigns & Outreach at peta2, PETA US , Feb 2, 2012Harald Ullman, Vice President PETA Germany , Dec 20, 2011
