Again, you’re right about the advice being poor – in the way you mention – but I also think it’s great advice if you consider it’s target the idea that the consequences are irrelevant if you’ve done the ‘right’ thing. If you’ve done the ‘right’ thing but the consequences are still bad, then you should probably reconsider what you’re doing. When aiming at this target, ‘heroic responsibility’ is just the additional responsibility of considering whether the ‘right’ thing to do is really right (i.e. will really work).
...
And now that I’m thinking about this heroic responsibility idea again, I feel a little more strongly how it’s a trap – it is. Nothing can save you from potential devastation at the loss of something or someone important to you. Simply shouldering responsibility for everything you care about won’t actually help. It’s definitely a practical necessity that groups of people carefully divide and delegate important responsibilities. But even that’s not enough! Nothing’s enough. So we can’t and shouldn’t be content with the responsibilities we’re expected to meet.
I subscribe to the idea that virtue ethics is how humans should generally implement good (ha) consequentialist ethics. But we can’t escape the fact that no amount of Virtue is a complete and perfect means of achieving all our desired ends! We’re responsible for which virtues we hold as much as we are of learning and practicing them.
You are analyzing “heroic responsibility” as a philosophical construct. I am analyzing it as [an ideological mantra]. Considering the story, there’s no reason for Harry to have meant it as the former, given that it is entirely redundant with the pre-existing philosophical construct of consequentialism, and every reason for him to have meant it as the latter, given that it explains why he must act differently than Hermione proposes.
[Note: the phrase “an ideological mantra” appears here because I’m not sure what phrase should appear here. Let me know if what I mean requires elaboration.]
I think you might be over-analyzing the story; which is fine actually, as I’m enjoying doing the same.
I have no evidence that Eliezer considered it so, but I just think Harry was explaining consequentialism to Hermione, without introducing it as a term.
I’m unsure if it’s connected in any obvious way, but to me the quoted conversation between Harry and Hermione is reminiscent of other conversations between the two characters about heroism generally. In that context, it’s obviously a poor ‘ideological mantra’ as it was targeted towards Hermione. Given what I remember of the story, it worked pretty well for her.
I confess, it would make sense to me if Harry was unfamiliar with metaethics and his speech about “heroic responsibility” was an example of him reinventing the idea. If that is the case, it would explain why his presentation is as sloppy as it is.
Again, you’re right about the advice being poor – in the way you mention – but I also think it’s great advice if you consider it’s target the idea that the consequences are irrelevant if you’ve done the ‘right’ thing. If you’ve done the ‘right’ thing but the consequences are still bad, then you should probably reconsider what you’re doing. When aiming at this target, ‘heroic responsibility’ is just the additional responsibility of considering whether the ‘right’ thing to do is really right (i.e. will really work).
...
And now that I’m thinking about this heroic responsibility idea again, I feel a little more strongly how it’s a trap – it is. Nothing can save you from potential devastation at the loss of something or someone important to you. Simply shouldering responsibility for everything you care about won’t actually help. It’s definitely a practical necessity that groups of people carefully divide and delegate important responsibilities. But even that’s not enough! Nothing’s enough. So we can’t and shouldn’t be content with the responsibilities we’re expected to meet.
I subscribe to the idea that virtue ethics is how humans should generally implement good (ha) consequentialist ethics. But we can’t escape the fact that no amount of Virtue is a complete and perfect means of achieving all our desired ends! We’re responsible for which virtues we hold as much as we are of learning and practicing them.
You are analyzing “heroic responsibility” as a philosophical construct. I am analyzing it as [an ideological mantra]. Considering the story, there’s no reason for Harry to have meant it as the former, given that it is entirely redundant with the pre-existing philosophical construct of consequentialism, and every reason for him to have meant it as the latter, given that it explains why he must act differently than Hermione proposes.
[Note: the phrase “an ideological mantra” appears here because I’m not sure what phrase should appear here. Let me know if what I mean requires elaboration.]
I think you might be over-analyzing the story; which is fine actually, as I’m enjoying doing the same.
I have no evidence that Eliezer considered it so, but I just think Harry was explaining consequentialism to Hermione, without introducing it as a term.
I’m unsure if it’s connected in any obvious way, but to me the quoted conversation between Harry and Hermione is reminiscent of other conversations between the two characters about heroism generally. In that context, it’s obviously a poor ‘ideological mantra’ as it was targeted towards Hermione. Given what I remember of the story, it worked pretty well for her.
I confess, it would make sense to me if Harry was unfamiliar with metaethics and his speech about “heroic responsibility” was an example of him reinventing the idea. If that is the case, it would explain why his presentation is as sloppy as it is.