Location: Denmark
Member Since: Jan. 30, 2014

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Magnus Vinding

Biography

Magnus Vinding is the author of Speciesism: Why It Is Wrong and the Implications of Rejecting It (2015), Reflections on Intelligence (2016), You Are Them (2017), Effective Altruism: How Can We Best Help Others? (2018), Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications (2020), Reasoned Politics (2022), and Essays on Suffering-Focused Ethics (2022).

He is blogging at magnusvinding.com

Where to find Magnus Vinding online

Twitter: @MagnusVinding
Blog: http://magnusvinding.com

Books

Essays on Suffering-Focused Ethics by
Price: Free! Words: 71,570. Language: English. Published: December 30, 2022. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy, Nonfiction » Philosophy » Essays
Essays on Suffering-Focused Ethics is a collection of 34 essays that explore various questions related to the reduction of suffering. Taken together, these essays make the case for a principled yet nuanced approach to preventing extreme suffering.
Reasoned Politics by
Price: Free! Words: 101,140. Language: English. Published: February 25, 2022. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy, Nonfiction » Philosophy » Political
In Reasoned Politics, Magnus Vinding lays out a path toward politics based on ethical reasoning and empirical evidence. He argues that a better approach to politics is both conceivable and realistic. Modern discoveries in political psychology hint at new, improved norms for political cooperation, while also pointing to concrete ways in which such improvements can gradually be realized.
Compassionate Free Speech by
Price: Free! Words: 4,240. Language: English. Published: July 29, 2020. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy, Nonfiction » Philosophy » Political
Two loose currents appear to be in opposition in today's culture. One is animated by a strong insistence on empathy and compassion as core values, the other by a strong insistence on free speech as a core value. These two currents are often portrayed as though they must be in conflict. Compassionate Free Speech makes the case that this is a mistake.
Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications by
Price: Free! Words: 109,750. Language: English. Published: May 29, 2020. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy, Nonfiction » Philosophy » Good & evil
The reduction of suffering deserves special priority. Many ethical views support this claim, yet so far these have not been presented in a single place. This book provides the most comprehensive presentation of suffering-focused arguments and views to date, followed by an elaborate exploration of the all-important practical question: how can we best reduce suffering in practice?
In Defense of Nuance by
Price: Free! Words: 8,260. Language: English. Published: August 30, 2018. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Epistemology, Nonfiction » Politics & Current Affairs » Current affairs
We appear to find ourselves in a crisis of polarization and failed communication. What can we do about it? This essay argues that we should all strive to follow certain virtues. Simply put, we should strive to be more charitable toward our adversaries, and aspire for more nuanced and balanced perspectives.
Effective Altruism: How Can We Best Help Others? by
Price: Free! Words: 24,790. Language: English. Published: July 6, 2018. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
This book is part introduction to, part reflective examination of, the idea and ideal of effective altruism. Its aim is to examine the core question of effective altruism: How can we best help others? This question forces us to contemplate what helping others ultimately entails. Here the book argues that the greatest help we can provide is to reduce extreme suffering for all sentient beings.
The Nature of Mathematics Given Physicalism by
Price: Free! Words: 15,560. Language: English. Published: June 1, 2018. Categories: Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Mathematics » History & Philosophy
This project aims to explore whether and in what way mathematics can be accommodated within the physical world. It is concluded that it seems possible to accommodate mathematics within a physicalist ontology and, more than that, that a physicalist account of the nature of mathematics indeed seems most plausible all things considered. This has intriguing implications for the nature of mathematics.
You Are Them by
Price: Free! Words: 13,750. Language: English. Published: April 21, 2017. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy, Nonfiction » Philosophy » Metaphysics
(5.00 from 1 review)
What follows if we reject belief in any kind of non-physical soul and instead embrace a physicalist picture of the world? A key implication, this book argues, is a naturalization of personal identity and ethics — a radically different way of thinking about ourself. “Magnus Vinding’s best book to date. Highly recommended.” — David Pearce, author of The Hedonistic Imperative
What Should We Do?: Essays on Cause Prioritization and Fundamental Values by
Price: Free! Words: 10,810. Language: English. Published: January 31, 2017. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
This collection of essays aims to provide a rough framework for how we can think about cause prioritization, and provides suggestions concerning important causes and questions we should focus on and explore further.
Induction Is All We Got: Essays on Epistemology by
Price: Free! Words: 7,730. Language: English. Published: November 2, 2016. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Epistemology
'Induction Is All We Got' is a collection of short essays on epistemology that deals mostly with the problem of induction, particularly what the status of induction is. Controversially, it argues that induction underlies all our beliefs.
Reflections on Intelligence by
Price: Free! Words: 16,090. Language: English. Published: August 4, 2016. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy, Nonfiction » Computers & Internet » Software development & engineering / general
A lot of people are talking about “superintelligent AI” these days. But what are they talking about? Indeed, what is “intelligence” in the first place? This question is often left unanswered in discussions about the future of AI, an omission from which much confusion follows. (Revised edition, 2020)
The Speciesism of Leaving Nature Alone and the Theoretical Case for “Wildlife Anti-Natalism” by
Price: Free! Words: 4,580. Language: English. Published: March 20, 2016. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
Discriminating against individuals based on their species membership is no more justified than discriminating against individuals based on their race or gender. In other words, speciesism must be rejected. From this simple starting point, the indefensibility of refusing to help non-human beings in nature follows quite directly.
Anti-Natalism and the Future of Suffering: Why Negative Utilitarians Should Not Aim For Extinction by
Price: Free! Words: 3,710. Language: English. Published: May 15, 2015. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
This short essay argues against the anti-natalist position. If humanity is to minimize suffering in the future, it must engage with the world, not opt out of it.
Speciesism: Why It Is Wrong and the Implications of Rejecting It by
Price: Free! Words: 15,750. Language: English. Published: May 1, 2015. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
This book shows why speciesism is wrong, and examines the implications of rejecting it. This examination reveals more than a few ways in which our behavior and attitudes need to change profoundly. "Magnus Vinding makes a compelling case for a moral revolution in human behaviour toward nonhuman individuals." — David Pearce, author of The Hedonistic Imperative
The Meaning of Life: An Examination of Purpose by
Price: Free! Words: 25,670. Language: English. Published: December 23, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
“What is the meaning of life?” Can we answer such a monumental question with the limited knowledge we have, and does the question even have an answer in the first place? The answer to both questions is "yes." There are certain and universal answers to the question, and we can provide these answers based on what we know about the world. Or so this book argues.
Moral Truths: The Foundation of Ethics by
Price: Free! Words: 46,320. Language: English. Published: November 2, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
There are moral truths. There are truths about what matters in this world, and therefore also truths about how we should act in it. And we need to realize these truths, as such a realization itself will ignite a fundamental change for the better, both in our thinking, conduct and culture altogether. A fundamental change toward higher moral ground. Or so this book argues.
Free Will: An Examination of Human Freedom by
Price: Free! Words: 11,020. Language: English. Published: August 5, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Free will & determinism
Do we have free will? Not many questions can excite people more than this one, and for good reasons. Our ideas about our own freedom influence some of the most important things in our lives, from our political decisions and legal practices to our personal motivations, choices, and actions. The goal of this short book is to address the problem of free will.
A Copernican Revolution in Ethics by
Price: Free! Words: 9,430. Language: English. Published: June 25, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
This book aims to answer which beings belong to the moral universe, and to examine some of the most basic ethical implications of this answer. The conclusion in short: We need to realize that humanity is not the sole object of ethics. We need a Copernican Revolution in ethics. [The book 'Speciesism: Why It Is Wrong and the Implications of Rejecting It' is an updated version of this book.]
The Simple Case for Going Vegan by
Price: Free! Words: 2,470. Language: English. Published: May 25, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
(5.00 from 1 review)
This two-part essay argues that a vegan lifestyle is implied by core human values that we all share. The first part presents a simple argument for veganism based on an ethical principle we all hold valid, while the second part argues that veganism follows directly from a rejection of unjustifiable discrimination.
Why "Happy Meat" Is Always Wrong by
Price: Free! Words: 4,490. Language: English. Published: May 6, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
The “happy meat” position does not challenge our large-scale mistreatment of non-human beings, but rather serves to support it. That is among the core claims of this essay, which argues that the rejection of the "happy meat" position is critical if we are to end the extreme horrors that humanity inflicts upon other animals.
Why We Should Go Vegan by
Price: Free! Words: 10,310. Language: English. Published: February 17, 2014. Categories: Nonfiction » Philosophy » Ethics & moral philosophy
(5.00 from 3 reviews)
“An excellent concise statement of the arguments for going vegan.” — Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, author of Animal Liberation. Magnus Vinding provides a comprehensive review of the many reasons to stop supporting the animal industry, and to instead transition toward a system that is less harmful for both human and non-human beings.

Magnus Vinding's tag cloud

ai    animal consciousness    animal ethics    animal experiments    animal pleasure    animal rights    animal suffering    antinatalism    artificial intelligence    artificial superintelligence    bayesianism    brian tomasik    cancel culture    cause prioritization    compassion    consciousness    consequentialism    copernican revolution    daniel dennett    daniel kolak    david benatar    david pearce    democracy    deontology    determinism    diet and nutrition    effective altruism    eliezer yudkowsky    empty individualism    epistemology    equality    ethics    ethics and morality    ethics of eating meat    extreme suffering    faith    feminism    food ethics    free speech    free will    freedom of action    freedom of expression    fundamental values    future suffering    happy meat    hate speech    health    health and diet    identity politics    indeterminism    induction    intelligence explosion    is ought problem    jeremy bentham    john stuart mill    justice    knowledge    liberty    mathematical constructivism    mathematical objectivity    mathematical realism    meaning of existence    meaningful life    meat    meat eating    moral realism    moral truth    morality    negative utilitarianism    nick bostrom    nonhuman animals    nuance    offensive speech    omnivore    ontology of mathematics    open individualism    oscar horta    paradox of tolerance    personal identity    perspective    peter singer    philosophy of mathematics    political biases    political cooperation    political psychology    predeterminism    purpose of existence    purpose of life    purposeful life    rational egoism    reason    reducing suffering    sam harris    selfishness    sex discrimination    simulation argument    simulation hypothesis    singularity    skepticism    social justice    social norms    speciesism    suffering    suffering focused ethics    superintelligence    superintelligent ai    the meaning of life    the nature of mathematics    the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics    torture    truth    utilitarianism    vegan    veganism    vegetarian    virtue ethics    why vegan    wild animal suffering    wildlife suffering