We are excited to release the Global Priorities Institute’s new research agendas.
GPI’s previous agenda integrated discussion of research priorities in both economics and philosophy. In contrast, we now have distinct agendas for each of our three core research areas: philosophy, economics, and psychology.
The new philosophy agenda has four sections. Section 1 covers ethical questions relating to the long-term future. Section 2 discusses issues in the philosophy of mind and wellbeing, with a special focus on nonhuman candidates for moral status (like non-human animals and digital minds). Section 3 discusses work exploring the risks and opportunities posed by advanced artificial intelligence. And Section 4 discusses broad questions about ethical prioritisation, engaging with issues that cut across the first three sections.
The new economics agenda has two main components. Section 1 centres on general or methodological issues in global prioritisation. This includes empirical and theoretical questions about e.g. cost-effectiveness, forecasting, and optimal philanthropy, as well as related normative questions related to welfare criteria and decision procedures. Section 2 centres on applied issues where further research in economics may be particularly impactful such as the economics of growth, population, inequality, governance and policy, catastrophic risks, and artificial intelligence.
The new research agenda for psychology and behavioral science outlines key priorities for GPI’s psychology team and the broader field. It emphasizes the role of beliefs, judgments, and decisions in addressing global challenges. Critical decisions about advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, pandemic preparedness, or nuclear conflict, as well as policies shaping safety, leadership, and long-term wellbeing, depend on human psychology.
The agendas reflect a diverse range of topics, and we hope that they prompt further work in these areas. Interested researchers are invited to get in touch for potential collaboration.
I am surprised by this. Ultimately, almost all of these decisions primarily happen in social and institutional contexts where most of the variance in outcomes is, arguably, not the result of individual psychology but of differences in institutional structures, culture, politics, economics, etc.
E.g. if one wanted to understand the context of these decisions better (which I think is critical!) shouldn't this primarily motivate a social science research agenda focused on questions such as, for example, "how do get decisions about advanced technologies made?", "what are the best leverage points?" etc.
Put somewhat differently, insofar as it a key insight of the social sciences (including economics) that societal outcomes cannot be reduced to individual-level psychology because they emerge from the (strategic) interaction and complex dynamics of billions of actors, I am surprised about this focus, at least insofar as the motivation is better understanding collective decision-making and actions taken in key GCR-areas.
I think we are relatively close and at the risk of misunderstanding.
I am not saying psychology isn't part of this and that this work isn't extremely valuable, I am a big fan of what you and Stefan are doing.
I would just say it is a fairly small part of the question of collective decision making / societal outcomes, e.g. if one wanted to start a program on understanding decision making in key GCR areas better then what I would expect in the next sentence would be something like "we are assembling a team of historians, political scientists, economists, socia... (read more)