Robert HarlingThe world has changed. So should our approach to doing good.The world we live in today is very different to the world people lived in 300 years ago. We are richer, healthier and more knowledgeable…Dec 8, 20221Dec 8, 20221
Robert HarlingChoosing what to read aboutThere are so many things one can dedicate time to learning about — how on Earth do you choose?May 16, 20211May 16, 20211
Robert HarlingThe Problem with School History ExamsThe response to the US election by different people has highlighted a problem I’d call narrative driven arguments. In a narrative driven…Nov 8, 2020Nov 8, 2020
Robert HarlingIntuition, Correlation and EthicsWhat do I mean by a moral theory?Nov 7, 2020Nov 7, 2020
Robert HarlingQuestions and thought-experiments on welfare and happinessWhat means a life goes well? The idea of a life going well is behind the notion of well-being (or welfare). The idea is hopefully…Oct 27, 2020Oct 27, 2020
Robert HarlingSysteWhen trying to choose between two things we can make errors by either using a flawed system to make the decision, or by not applying our…Oct 21, 2020Oct 21, 2020
Robert HarlingCrucial considerations, theories of change and modelsIn effective altruism we want to maximise our positive impact in the world. This means thinking about the impact of our actions on the…Oct 17, 2020Oct 17, 2020
Robert HarlingWhat is counterfactual thinking?Counterfactual thinking is all about asking “what would happen if I didn’t do x?” It is key to evaluating the impact of our actions. The…Oct 15, 2020Oct 15, 2020
Robert HarlingMy ethical intuitionMoral philosophy is of course incredibly complex and many people disagree strongly. I think over time I’m becoming less certain of my own…Oct 13, 2020Oct 13, 2020
Robert HarlingTidying a Room Optimally: Deriving Diminishing ReturnsThis post requires some mathematics (hopefully not too much to make it inaccessible!) so I wrote it in latex and provide a link to the pdf…Oct 11, 2020Oct 11, 2020
