Definition
Moral Expansion (or the expansion of the “moral circle”) is the process by which a society recognizes the moral worth of previously ignored groups (e.g., other races, genders, species, or future generations). It involves a fundamental shift in the “values trajectory” of civilization.
Why It Matters
Our ‘circle of concern’ determines who we protect and who we exploit. Failing to expand this circle leads to historical atrocities like slavery or ecological collapse. Moral expansion is the metric of civilizational progress and the safeguard against future cruelty.
Core Concepts
- Trajectory Changes: Longtermism emphasizes shifts that persist for a long time. Improving a society’s values (moral expansion) is one of the most effective ways to influence the long-term future.
- Moral Entrepreneurs: Individuals or small groups (e.g., the Quakers and Benjamin Lay in the abolitionist movement) who identify moral errors and work to change social norms through “revolutionary beliefs and cooperative behaviour.”
- Expected Contingency: The “tape of life” reruns. Many moral advances (like abolition) were not inevitable and could have been missed, making the current era one of high Moral Plasticity.
- Fitness Landscapes of Values: Different societies can settle into different “moral equilibria” (e.g., Conficianism vs. Liberalism). Some equilibria are “traps” that prevent further progress.