Be Better Club - Themed Ethics Discussions (Spring: Altruism and Giving)

Spring Theme: To Give or Not To Give: Understanding Altruism, Its (Possible) Limits, and (Alleged) Costs of Trying to Do Good for Others

This term's theme is giving and altruism. we'll start exploring whether something like altruism is possible and what it's origins might be. We'll explore these questions at an individual and interpersonal level as well as the intersections of giving and political questions before considering a purely political kind of giving as it relates to foreign aid. As the term progresses we'll shift from wondering "what is altruism?" and "is altruism possible?" to exploring the costs of giving and altruism with questions like "can philanthropy be bad for democracy?" and "does foreign aid rectify injustice or deepen it?" We hope -- perhaps altruistically -- that you'll enjoy these discussions as much as we do!

Be Better Club meets (roughly) biweekly on Wednesdays from 12-1pm on Zoom (Jan 22, Feb 5, Feb 19, March 5 , and April 2). Feel free to bring your lunch and a curious mind! The zoom info is always the same! The Meeting ID: 994 5503 8588 and the Passcode: 398642

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 22 - What is Altruism and is it Possible?

The Good Show (1:05:41)

Radiolab, an older (2010) episode with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich.

In this discussion we'll base our conversation off an episode the Radiolab hosts explore altruism. The story centers an evolutionary story about giving. We'll think about the possible origin of altruistic behavior. The episode is story-driven but it explores questions about the very possibility of altruism -- understood as non-self-interested giving. This session will form a foundation for many of the discussions to come this term. We'll ask what might explain our human capacity (tendency?) to give things to others? Is it possible to give in a truly altruistic way?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 5 - Radical Altruistic Behavior and the Case of Organ Donation
The Selfless Kidney Donor (45:43)
Hi-Phi Nation, Season 5, Episode 5. Barry Lam, Michael McCullough and guests Penny Lane, Keiran Setiya.

This session will use a case of seemingly extraordinary altruistic behavior -- the giving of a kidney to an unknown person -- to dig deeper into what altruism and giving means. This episode takes an even more philosophical turn on the sorts of questions already raised last session. Do cases like unknown organ donors give support to the claim that radical altruism is possible? Are there moral lessons we can learn from these sorts of case? Is altruism of some degree an obligation?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 19 - The Effective Altruism Movement; a Force for Good or Good Intentions Going Wrong?

Effective Altruism and its Critics (1:01:48)

Hi-Phi Nation Season 6, Episode 5. Hosts: Barry Lam, Michael McCullough and guests Richard Yetter-Chappell, Savannah Pearlman, Shakeel Hashim, and Seth Lazar.

In this discussion we'll consider a possible obligation toward altruism that is at the foundation of the 'effective altruism' movement. The associated podcast episode has guests who support and reject some of the basic claims that motivates some people to devote large portions of their time, money, or expertise to doing good. We'll ask, do we have an obligation to give more than me do? If so, how much? If not, why not? We'll also explore whether effective altruism in particular is the right answer to some of these puzzles about altruism and obligation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 5 - Philanthropy and Democracy - Are There Political Costs of Giving?

Is Philanthropy Bad for Democracy? (47:12)

Rationally Speaking Podcast Episode 221. Host Julia Galef and Guest Rob Reich.

In today's discussion we will begin our turn toward exploring whether there might be a downside to giving. The episode involves a discussion with Rob Reich a political scientist who has argued that philanthropy has a deleterious effect on democracy. The interviewing host has effective altruist sensibilities and the discussion focuses on some of the political effects of individual giving. We'll ask ourselves whether the costs of such giving do imply philanthropy is a problem that warrants a restriction on altruistic giving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 2 - International Justice and Foreign Aid - Correcting Historical Injustice or Something More Insidious?

Foreign Aid -- or Injury (50:43)

Philosophy Talk: Hosts: Ken Taylor, Debra Satz and Guest: John Welborn

Our final discussion of the spring term takes a political and international turn and turns our attention to giving at the international level. The conversation considers what justifies foreign aid -- is it an obligatory responses to past injustice or perhaps based on a duty to aid those in need? The discussion will also explore whether such aid might have costs that undermine its purposes much like we've considered in past episodes about individual giving.

Read More