Spencer Greenberg

speaker

1,056 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Jul 2026 last heard 28 Jul

Spencer Greenberg’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.

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80,000 Hours Podcast · #249 – Spencer Greenberg on staying sane while trying to save the world · 28 Jul 2026 podcast

I try to not neglect my intrinsic values, but let them sort of come in communication with each other and find a balance between them that feels right.

And that's a psychological quest.

It's not a quest about the nature of philosophy or the universe.

Now we're squarely in the realm of philosophy, which I'm happy to talk about because I love philosophy.

But I would just say we're leaving the realm of psychology.

So philosophically, are there actual truths about what is good?

And when you say...

well, why don't you do what you should do morally?

I say, OK, let's define that word should a little more carefully here.

And if you say, well, you should use a nail if you want to hit a hammer into the wall, I know what that means.

I know it's essentially implying that there's some goal you're trying to achieve.

You should do it because you want the nail to be on the wall, so you should use a hammer.

Right?

And people use moral language in the same way, but it's not clear what the thing being implied is.

Like, you should work to reduce suffering for all sentient beings.

Well, what is the should?

Where is it coming from?

And this is something I've thought about a lot for many years, and there was a time when I was younger where I accepted that there are universal moral truths, but now I reject that.

I don't think the should means anything.

I actually believe that it is a nonsense statement.

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