A New Course

Suffering-focused ethics (SFE) is a family of moral views that gives special priority to reducing suffering. As you might know, we at the Center for Reducing Suffering find SFE deeply compelling—it is, after all, the backbone of our work. Part of our mission is to research and build a field around SFE. Unfortunately, SFE remains highly neglected in both academia and broader moral discourse. We are hoping to fill this gap.

Discussions of ethics often focus on a range of concerns and moral traditions. The questions raised are both interesting and deeply important. Yet comparatively little attention is devoted to examining the moral significance of suffering itself and asking whether it deserves some kind of special priority.

The lack of attention given to SFE and its core claims means that it remains underexamined, limiting our understanding of it. It also allows misconceptions to fester, distorting its meaning. For instance, people may equate SFE with negative utilitarianism, assume it is necessarily pessimistic or nihilistic, or believe it must have absurd implications.

We believe that SFE is too important to be neglected in this way. We think these ideas deserve serious examination, open discussion, and careful reflection. Our new Intro to Suffering-Focused Ethics course aims to be a starting place for this. This online, six-week, discussion-based course aims to introduce SFE and the main arguments for and against it.

The program is designed as an accessible introduction for those new to the topic, while also offering value to participants who are already familiar with SFE and want to deepen their understanding through discussion and engagement with others. The course complements our past programs on s-risks, focusing more on the normative foundations for working on s-risks and reducing suffering more broadly.

The course will run during the weeks of July 14 to August 24, 2026. Here is the planned curriculum:

Week 1 — SFE: What and Why?
An introduction to suffering-focused ethics and the case for prioritizing the reduction of severe suffering.

Week 2 — Happiness and Suffering
Whether happiness can outweigh suffering, and how to think about well-being and ill-being.

Week 3 — Implausible, or Just Unfashionable?
Examining common objections to SFE and exploring why it remains relatively neglected.

Week 4 — Many Paths to SFE
How different moral traditions and ethical theories can converge on prioritizing suffering reduction.

Week 5 — Reducing Suffering I: Big Picture
Effective approaches to reducing suffering, including large-scale risks, priorities, and moral uncertainty.

Week 6 — Reducing Suffering II: Next Steps
Practical opportunities for research, careers, and action aimed at reducing suffering.

We hope the course will provide a thoughtful introduction to one of the most important and overlooked areas of moral inquiry. Whether you are encountering these ideas for the first time or have been reflecting on them for years, we would be delighted to have you join the conversation.

Read the full course overview and FAQ here, and apply here by June 14. We hope to see you there!