Richard Y Chappell🔸
@rychappell.bsky.social
Philosophy prof. Posts better stuff at www.goodthoughts.blog
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2024 in Review
This year I wrote 70 posts and gained 1,500 new subscribers (passing 4,500 in total), including three dozen paid subscriptions since introducing the option in June. I appreciate all my readers, but it...
www.goodthoughts.blog
My annual "Year in Review" summarizes the best of the 70 blog posts I wrote in 2024, ranging across meta-philosophy, ethical theory, applied ethics, and more:
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/2024-in-re...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/2024-in-re...
The most important influences on a debate occur in the cultural background, before any arguments are even exchanged.
In practical ethics, especially, these background assumptions are deeply shaped by vibe bias: attunement to what sounds superficially good.
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/vibe-bias
In practical ethics, especially, these background assumptions are deeply shaped by vibe bias: attunement to what sounds superficially good.
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/vibe-bias
Vibe Bias
Check Your Dialectical Privilege
www.goodthoughts.blog
July 11, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The most important influences on a debate occur in the cultural background, before any arguments are even exchanged.
In practical ethics, especially, these background assumptions are deeply shaped by vibe bias: attunement to what sounds superficially good.
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/vibe-bias
In practical ethics, especially, these background assumptions are deeply shaped by vibe bias: attunement to what sounds superficially good.
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/vibe-bias
This was a fun interview!
philosophyandfiction.substack.com/cp/168005453
philosophyandfiction.substack.com/cp/168005453
July 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
This was a fun interview!
philosophyandfiction.substack.com/cp/168005453
philosophyandfiction.substack.com/cp/168005453
No, I actually think philosophers have a kind of general-purpose expertise in thinking that makes it prima facie reasonable to include a philosopher on a policy team independently of their more specific topical or subdisciplinary expertise. (Obviously you *also* need domain-specific experts.)
July 9, 2025 at 1:56 PM
No, I actually think philosophers have a kind of general-purpose expertise in thinking that makes it prima facie reasonable to include a philosopher on a policy team independently of their more specific topical or subdisciplinary expertise. (Obviously you *also* need domain-specific experts.)
The charge is that Byrne is misleading people because the HHS (implicitly) describes him as a "methodologist" instead of a "philosopher"? Not really sure why the verbiage matters, but it sounds like that's a complaint to direct at the HHS rather than at Byrne.
July 8, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The charge is that Byrne is misleading people because the HHS (implicitly) describes him as a "methodologist" instead of a "philosopher"? Not really sure why the verbiage matters, but it sounds like that's a complaint to direct at the HHS rather than at Byrne.
Part I of my review explained why we should be worried about below-replacement global fertility and subsequent depopulation. Today’s post asks what we should do about it. (Spoiler: make parenting easier and more appealing.)
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/a-human-ab...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/a-human-ab...
A Human Abundance Agenda
Review (#2/2) of *After the Spike*
www.goodthoughts.blog
July 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Part I of my review explained why we should be worried about below-replacement global fertility and subsequent depopulation. Today’s post asks what we should do about it. (Spoiler: make parenting easier and more appealing.)
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/a-human-ab...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/a-human-ab...
The procedural principles advanced in philosophy's latest condemnatory "open letter" seem pretty bad to me.
What's Wrong with Collaboration?
Against the argument from cooties
www.goodthoughts.blog
July 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM
The procedural principles advanced in philosophy's latest condemnatory "open letter" seem pretty bad to me.
A fun and wide-ranging discussion! www.goodthoughts.blog/p/ethics-dis...
Ethics Discussion with Daniel Muñoz
Hosted by Bentham's Bulldog
www.goodthoughts.blog
July 6, 2025 at 1:08 AM
A fun and wide-ranging discussion! www.goodthoughts.blog/p/ethics-dis...
One of the top priorities of public policy should be to shape our choice environment so that it’s easier to do good and worthwhile things. Requiring a license to exercise, parent, or donate to charity would violate this principle.
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-costs-...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-costs-...
The Costs of Permission
Against barriers to good behavior
www.goodthoughts.blog
July 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM
One of the top priorities of public policy should be to shape our choice environment so that it’s easier to do good and worthwhile things. Requiring a license to exercise, parent, or donate to charity would violate this principle.
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-costs-...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-costs-...
Why should life or death decisions turn on a question so empty and trivial as mere metaphysical taxonomy?
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/death-by-m...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/death-by-m...
July 4, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Why should life or death decisions turn on a question so empty and trivial as mere metaphysical taxonomy?
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/death-by-m...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/death-by-m...
New book makes a compelling case for thinking that depopulation is a serious moral concern, and we should do more as a society to make parenting easier & more appealing, so more people want to do more of it! forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/B7bLd4...
Debate: Depopulation Matters — EA Forum
After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People by Dean Spears and Michael Geruso is one of the most bracing, insightful, and import…
forum.effectivealtruism.org
July 1, 2025 at 3:15 PM
New book makes a compelling case for thinking that depopulation is a serious moral concern, and we should do more as a society to make parenting easier & more appealing, so more people want to do more of it! forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/B7bLd4...
Are there reasons to doubt the objectivity of moral truths that aren’t equally reasons to doubt the objectivity of metaethical claims like “there are no objective moral truths”?
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/meta-metae...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/meta-metae...
Meta-Metaethical Realism
Could Anti-Realism be Objectively True?
www.goodthoughts.blog
June 28, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Are there reasons to doubt the objectivity of moral truths that aren’t equally reasons to doubt the objectivity of metaethical claims like “there are no objective moral truths”?
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/meta-metae...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/meta-metae...
If the status quo is genuinely atrocious, is there an inoffensive way to convey the truth of the matter?
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-moral-...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-moral-...
The Moral Gadfly's Double-Bind
Warranted moral criticism is rarely welcomed
www.goodthoughts.blog
June 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
If the status quo is genuinely atrocious, is there an inoffensive way to convey the truth of the matter?
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-moral-...
www.goodthoughts.blog/p/the-moral-...
Thanks for bringing the worry to my attention.
June 21, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Thanks for bringing the worry to my attention.
Fair enough! I've updated the footnote to clarify: "I just offer these as representative examples of what I take to be a very common pattern of reasoning. No offense intended to these authors in particular; they’ve just written down what I hear lots of other academics saying!"
June 21, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Fair enough! I've updated the footnote to clarify: "I just offer these as representative examples of what I take to be a very common pattern of reasoning. No offense intended to these authors in particular; they’ve just written down what I hear lots of other academics saying!"
(I did include a footnote with a couple of examples of "no duty -> no good" inferences, just to verify that I'm not making up that pattern of reasoning. But I didn't intend the post to be read as "calling out" those *particular* authors. Perhaps I should make that clearer?)
June 20, 2025 at 10:01 PM
(I did include a footnote with a couple of examples of "no duty -> no good" inferences, just to verify that I'm not making up that pattern of reasoning. But I didn't intend the post to be read as "calling out" those *particular* authors. Perhaps I should make that clearer?)