Auteursarchief: stijnbruers
An ethical minefield. Stepping from the worst to the best population ethical theories
About ten years ago, during my studies in moral philosophy, I encountered the area of population ethics. It is clearly one of the most tricky areas in ethics, a minefield of very counterintuitive conclusions. But it is also one of … Lees verder
Van radicale naar rationele ecologie, van laag naar hoog, van Shiva naar Dyson
De milieubeweging zit laag aan de grond en kan best opstijgen tot hogere niveaus. Dit kunnen we zowel figuurlijk als letterlijk interpreteren. Ecologische stromingen We beginnen met een figuurlijke interpretatie. Een sterke onderstroom binnen de milieubeweging is het radicaal ecologisme. … Lees verder
Cost-effectiveness distributions, power laws and scale invariance
The cost-effectiveness of policies, actions and interventions measures how much good is done (how many lives are saved, greenhouse gases are mitigated, diseases are cured, education levels are improved,…) per dollar investment. Cost-effectiveness is often difficult to measure, but sometimes … Lees verder
Rational altruism and risk aversion
Let’s start with a very hypothetical but tricky dilemma. The importance of this dilemma will become clear at the end. Suppose I give you a choice between two options. If you choose option A, I will save one person. If … Lees verder
Big is beautiful. On the dangers of too much distrust in big institutions and high-tech solutions.
Imagine a covid19 pandemic without big institutions such as governments, tech companies and pharmaceutical companies. We would rely on personal, voluntary behavioral change such as social distancing and washing hands, added with low tech solutions such as face masks. These … Lees verder
De begrensde reddingsboot. Reactie op de boekbespreking van Open Grenzen
Als veganist, atheïst en ecohumanist zit ik vaak op dezelfde lijn met Floris van den Berg. Verschillende van zijn boeken heb ik reeds besproken. Maar hier en daar hebben we meningsverschillen. Iemand met een andere mening geeft ons een mogelijkheid … Lees verder
My top ideas of 2020
Now that 2020 came to an end, it is time to look back and reflect on my top ideas of last year. Top charities In 2020, I focused on effective giving: donating to the most effective charities. I increased my … Lees verder
De irrationele logica van vaccintwijfelaars
Wat vaccintwijfelaars in essentie geloven (opiniestuk gepubliceerd op VRT) Het afgelopen jaar zagen we hoe naast een virus ook desinformatie zich snel kan verspreiden. We zagen opstoten van coronatwijfel en weerstand tegen coronamaatregelen. Nu we D-day tegen corona hebben bereikt … Lees verder
Clean technology innovation as the most cost-effective climate action
Main takeaways Funding research and development of clean technologies, in particular clean protein and clean energy, is probably the most cost-effective method to avoid dangerous climate change. Clean protein is animal-free protein such as cell-based meat and fermentation-based dairy and … Lees verder
From Shiva to Dyson: a paradigm shift from radical ecology with soil-based low-tech food to rational ecology with air-based high-tech food
In the past decade, I made a paradigm shift in thinking about ecology and sustainable food production. I shifted from radical ecology to rational ecology. These two paradigms are represented by two women of color: Vandana Shiva and Lisa Dyson. … Lees verder
