Cowen lays forth a simple moral philosophy: maximise sustainable economic growth, not at the expense of human rights. In macro terms this has as its broad strokes investment in education, infrastructure, the environment, decrease spending on welfare for the elderly. Realistically, it only provides a guiding principle for the individual which is ‘maximising your wealth is good’. On what policies we should support it seems to kick the can further, we’re no longer thinking about how to maximise human welfare, we’re thinking about maximising growth which is just as tenuous, and poorly reasoned about.
I’m inherently wary reading ‘Stubborn Attachments’, as this philosophy is relatively self-serving. Yes, I’d love to keep striving to make money and not feel bad about it. Yes I’d love to make marginal decisions in my life rather than grandiose changes. Cowen does push for bravery and faith in some ways, such as thinking about people and our ancestors in the far future, but this book seems to almost be a whiplash to recent utilitarian all-vegan, effective-altruist maxims. And in a good way too.