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Scope Insensitivity

Edited by Eliezer Yudkowsky, Vladimir_Nesov, Grognor, et al. last updated 25th Jul 2025

The human brain can't emotionally represent large quantities; an environmental measure that will save 200,000 birds doesn't conjure anywhere near a hundred times the emotional impact and willingness-to-pay of a measure that would save 2,000 birds, even though in fact the former measure is two orders of magnitude more effective.

See also

  • Shut up and multiply
  • Expected utility, Utilitarianism
  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Emotion, alief
  • Pascal's mugging
  • Existential risk
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