Arguments for and against moral advocacy

Abstract

Spreading beneficial values is a promising intervention for effective altruists. We may hope that our advocacy has a lasting influence on our society (or its successor), thus having an indirect impact on the far future. Alternatively, we may view moral advocacy a form of movement building, that is, it may inspire additional people to work on the issues we care most about.

This post analyses key strategic questions on moral advocacy, such as:

What does moral advocacy look like in practice? Which values should we spread, and how? How effective is moral advocacy compared to other interventions such as directly influencing new technologies? What are the most important arguments for and against focusing on moral advocacy?