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Scope Insensitivity

Edited by Eliezer Yudkowsky, Vladimir_Nesov, Grognor, et al. last updated 25th Jul 2025

The human brain can't emotionally represent large quantities; an environmental measure that will save 200,000 birds doesn't conjure anywhere near a hundred times the emotional impact and willingness-to-pay of a measure that would save 2,000 birds, even though in fact the former measure is two orders of magnitude more effective.

See also

  • Shut up and multiply
  • Expected utility, Utilitarianism
  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Emotion, alief
  • Pascal's mugging
  • Existential risk
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Posts tagged Scope Insensitivity
354Scope Insensitivity
Eliezer Yudkowsky
18y
71
125One Life Against the World
Eliezer Yudkowsky
18y
84
85Torture vs. Dust Specks
Eliezer Yudkowsky
18y
630
74Boredom vs. Scope Insensitivity
Wei Dai
16y
40
22Scope Insensitivity Judo
Gordon Seidoh Worley
6y
3
13Scope insensitivity in juries
Scott Alexander
15y
1
22Useless Medical Disclaimers
Eliezer Yudkowsky
18y
15
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