Unexpected value: Prioritising the urgency of suffering
Jonathan Leighton

We all agree that suffering matters, but how much does it matter compared to other issues we could devote resources to? In this talk, Jonathan Leighton will discuss the relationship between happiness and suffering, including how it is understood by many rationalists and members of the EA community, and argue for an alternative ethical framework that prioritises the inherent urgency of extreme suffering, while still explicitly acknowledging the important role of our intuitions.

Jonathan Leighton is the Executive Director of the Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS), a think-and-do tank he founded to promote compassionate ethics in societal decision-making. OPIS is best known for its advocacy for better access to effective medications for people in severe pain, including morphine for terminal cancer patients in lower-income countries, and psychedelics for patients with horrendously painful conditions like cluster headaches. It also advocates for anti-speciesism and an end to factory farming and the abuse of animals.

MC: Michael Kerrison

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