#MoralCircle
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byrdnick.com
What beings are in your #moralCircle?

The 1st keynote by @mattiwilks.bsky.social reported that
- kids, effective altruists (EAs), and vegetarians showed less #speciesism, #anthropocentrism
- EAs performed better on cognitive tests

Follow Dr. Wilks on #gScholar: scholar.google.com/citations?us...
"Children Prioritize Humans Over Animals Less Than Adults Do" Matti Wilks, Lucius Caviola, Guy Kahane, and Paul Bloom https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620960398 "Does Distance Matter? How Physical and Social Distance Shape Our Perceived Obligations to Others" Julia Marshall, Matti Wilks Open Mind (2024) 8: 511–534. https://doi.org/10.1162/opmi_a_00138 Recap: The moral circle across development Children appear to be more morally expansive than adults Non-human animals, physically and socially distant others artificial intelligence Why are children's moral circles more expansive? What drives the contraction? Recap: Unusually altruistic groups Differences in moral judgements for GWWC and vegetarians GWWC pledgers also differ on thinking style Few other differences for vegetarians (non-moral) What drives these differences? Where else might we find them?
June 26, 2025 at 8:19 AM
multispecies.bsky.social
Jeff Sebo's The Moral Circle: Who Matters, What Matters, and Why.

A philosopher calls for a revolution in ethics, suggesting we expand our “moral circle” to include #insects, AI systems, and even #microbes.

#MoralCircle #MultispeciesJustice #AnimalWelfare

wwnorton.com/books/978132...
The Moral Circle
A philosopher calls for a revolution in ethics, suggesting we expand our “moral circle” to include insects, AI systems, and even microbes., The Moral Circle, Who Matters, What Matters, and...
wwnorton.com
February 20, 2025 at 10:21 AM
byrdnick.com
What can we learn about people's #MoralCircle using dilemmas about who to save?

Daniel Martin et al. showed really nice plots of reaction times, similarity scores, and choice changes.

Follow Daniel via @researchgate.bsky.social: www.researchgate.net/profile/Dani...

#bioethics #appliedEthics #xPhi
Significant main effect of entity x*(44) = 43,250, p < .001, and significant interaction between specie and charity, x°(132) = 593, D < .001. EEMs for the probability of saving each family across the four charity conditions: Humans had the highest average probability; mammals also received high support; birds and plants showed more variability. Insects and others consistently showed lower probabilities of being saved. Entity Distance Matrix (Ordered by Save Probability) Study 1. Profiles - From Response Times and probabilities to Moral Maps Non-donors (baseline): Humans were strongly prioritized (0.91), but little variation across other families, insects (0.20) the lowest. Global Health and Wellbeing Fund: Humans again led (0.93), with mammals (0.65) and plants (0.34) in the middle, and insects (0.20). Founders Pledge Climate Change Fund: Humans led similarly as animal adv. (0.90), while plants saw relatively higher support (0.38) than in other charities, and insects remained low (0.22). Effective Animal Advocacy Fund: Humans again led (o.86), but a more balance support across mammals (0.67), birds (0.57), and especially insects (0.19). One dimension 'distance' predicts likelihood of saving a species. 0.91> R° > 0.94 Study 2. Goal Framing and Choice History
June 26, 2025 at 9:29 AM
uehiro.ox.ac.uk
Why do some lives matter more than others?
Drawing on research in moral psychology and ethics, @kathrynbfrancis.bsky.social examines how people come to include or exclude different beings from their moral circle.
youtu.be/LB8q7f6J4HM?...

#PhilosophyMatters #ethics #animalethics #moralcircle
Bitesize Ethics 2026 Session 6: Why do some lives matter more than others?
YouTube video by Uehiro Oxford Institute Channel
youtu.be
August 12, 2026 at 12:44 PM
drgavazzi.bsky.social
Moral Future-Thinking: Does the #MoralCircle Stand the Test of Time?

We tend to prioritize the present & not the future with moral issues. With priming, we can contemplate moral issues with a future orientation

#EffectiveAltruism #imagination #longtermism

www.ethicalpsychology.com/2023/11/mora...
November 9, 2023 at 10:51 AM