Almost EA chat

You both like philosophy.

You: Hello. 23. What city are you from?

Stranger: I live in Australia

You: Ok

Stranger: I'm 22

Stranger: what's up?

You: What do you read?

Stranger: Currently reading metaphysics and the origins of political order

You: by Francis Fukuyama?

Stranger: Yeah

You: Cool beans

Stranger: you read it?

You: Na, just looked it up

Stranger: wbu'

You: A brief pdf about Effective Altruism

Stranger: Nice

Stranger: I've heard about that before

You: Do you know Peter Singer?

Stranger: Yeah

You: Which ideas do you know of his?

Stranger: So I know of his biggest argument

Stranger: I think it was articulated in famine, affluence and morality

You: Awesome

Stranger: basically that we should give as much of our wealth away without sacrificing anything of comparable moral worth? or something

You: yes, verbatim

You: Do you or have you studied philosophy?

Stranger: Not formally, yourself?

You: Not this stuff formally

You: I'm an electrical engineering senior

You: But I enjoy reading philosophy

Stranger: Oh true

Stranger: Where are you from?

You: Wisconsin

Stranger: Nice

Stranger: I'm actually two years into my psychology degree but I intend on switching to politics and philosophy

Stranger: far more interesting, to me at least

Stranger: Plus, doing research in psychology requires $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You: Haha

You: I would've minored in psychology

Stranger: Are you interested in metaethics?

You: Well yes, I'm interested in morality in the first place

You: ~ most

Stranger: Metaethics is fascinating to me

Stranger: I originally tried disputing Singer's argument in my mind

Stranger: but I didn't realise I was disputing underlying metaethical principles

Stranger: instead of his actual argument

You: hugh, that's interesting

Stranger: Well, you are familiar with his pond analogy?

You: Yes

You: I'm very much into Effective Altruism

You: so yes, that's very closely tied

Stranger: I'm not read up on effective altruism, but I do have some friends who are masters students in philosophy and very into that

Stranger: I think I will read Practical Ethics soon

Stranger: I wish I was born in the future where I could USB all these books into my mind

You: I read it, it's a good intro into EA

You: Ya, me too

Stranger: Have you read, reasons and persons?

You: I haven't

Stranger: I thought Parfit was supposed to be somehow tied to altruism

Stranger: or effective altruism

You: He sounds awfully familiar

Stranger: The book is very dense, I've tried it once but I don't think I'm read up enough on ethics to comprehend it sufficiently

Stranger: metaethically speaking, where would you consider yourself?

Stranger: e.g. realist, nonrealist, emotivist, subjectivist etc

Stranger: cognitivist