Even if I didn’t care one jot about increasing happiness and decreasing suffering in the world, then I think I still ought to increase happiness and decrease suffering.
This seems to be similar to Eliezer’s beliefs. Relevant quote from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:
“No,” Professor Quirrell said. His fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t think that’s quite what I was trying to say. Mr. Potter, in the end people all do what they want to do. Sometimes people give names like ‘right’ to things they want to do, but how could we possibly act on anything but our own desires?”
“Well, obviously,” Harry said. “I couldn’t act on moral considerations if they lacked the power to move me. But that doesn’t mean my wanting to hurt those Slytherins has the power to move me more than moral considerations!”
I don’t think that’s what Harry is saying there. Your quote from HPMOR seems to me to be more about the recognition that moral considerations are only one aspect of a decision-making process (in humans, anyway), and that just because that is true doesn’t mean that moral considerations won’t have an effect.
This seems to be similar to Eliezer’s beliefs. Relevant quote from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:
I don’t think that’s what Harry is saying there. Your quote from HPMOR seems to me to be more about the recognition that moral considerations are only one aspect of a decision-making process (in humans, anyway), and that just because that is true doesn’t mean that moral considerations won’t have an effect.