Moral uncertainty

Abstract

In “Moral Uncertainty,” philosophers William MacAskill, Krister Bykvist, and Toby Ord address the problem of decision-making when faced with fundamental moral uncertainty, a topic neglected in both economics and philosophy. They argue that there are specific norms guiding such decisions and advocate for an information-sensitive approach. Drawing an analogy between moral uncertainty and social choice, they highlight that different moral views offer varying levels of information about our reasons for action. Thus, the optimal decision-making framework under moral uncertainty must be sensitive to this informational discrepancy. The book further tackles the challenge of intertheoretic comparisons and explores the implications of their perspective for metaethics and practical ethics.