Moral Weight Project V2
- commitment
- 8 hrs/week
- format
- Research and writing
- topic
- Macrostrategy, philosophy, and cause prioritisation
- open to mentee proposals
- No, I only want a mentee(s) to work on my proposed project
The project
There are several sub-projects associated with the second version of the Moral Weight Project. For instance, you might spend your time trying to find good proxies for differences in attentional bandwidth across species. Or you might think about how to compare the relative prudential value of various hedonic and non-hedonic goods. Or you might work on adapting the hierarchical Bayesian approach that we used for RP's Digital Consciousness Model to this current purpose.
The mentee's role
Mentees will conduct research that directly advances the project under my supervision.
Who I'm looking for
I'm especially interested in candidates with a background in either biology or philosophy. However, anyone comfortable digging through empirical literature is welcome to apply. Being familiar with the original version of the MWP is definitely valuable, though not required.
Support offered
I'm a professor and have done plenty of mentoring. You'll be collaborating closely with me to pull together a large, interdisciplinary project. I'm also happy to connect you with other folks working in this area insofar as that's helpful.
Bob Fischer
Rethink Priorities
I'm a senior researcher at Rethink Priorities, a professor at Texas State University, and the director of the Arthropoda Foundation. I ran Rethink Priorities' Moral Weight Project, which was an attempt to compare the intensity of Valence experiences across species. I'm doing a second version of the project over the course of the next year; I would love your help on it.