Philosophy Program Presents
The Moral Circle: Who Matters, What Matters, and Why
Jeff Sebo, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, NYU
Friday, April 17, 2026
Hegeman 204
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
Who belongs in our moral community? We now accept that all humans are full members, but what about nonhumans—from elephants and octopuses to ants and AI systems? This talk argues that we should expand our moral circle much farther and faster than many assume, discussing why we should extend moral consideration to beings whose moral status is uncertain, including invertebrates and emerging AI systems. As the dominant species impacting quintillions of other beings, we have a responsibility to rethink the boundaries of moral concern, with transformative implications for ethics, policy, and society.
Jeff Sebo is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, and Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy at New York University. His research focuses on animal minds, ethics, and policy; AI minds, ethics, and policy; and global health and climate ethics and policy. He is the author of The Moral Circle and Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights and Food, Animals, and the Environment. He is also an advisory board member at the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, an advisory board member at the Insect Welfare Research Society, an advisor at Eleos AI, and a senior affiliate at the Institute for Law and AI. In 2024 Vox included him on its Future Perfect 50 list of "thinkers, innovators, and changemakers who are working to make the future a better place."
For more information, call 845-758-7667, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Hegeman 204
Save this Event: