Jonathan Leighton

Jonathan Leighton is an ethics strategist, social change advocate and public speaker. He is the author of The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe (2011), in which he takes a methodical approach to answering the question "What matters?", tying in findings from physics, biology, psychology and philosophy. Since June 2016 he is the Executive Director of the Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS), a Swiss think-and-do tank he founded to promote the application of compassionate ethics to societal decision-making. OPIS has been advocating for better access to effective medications for people in severe pain, including patients with terminal cancer or cluster headaches, and more generally, for governments to prioritise the prevention of intense suffering of all sentient beings. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Leighton trained as a research molecular biologist, obtaining an AB from Harvard University and a PhD from the University of Basel. He has worked as a scientist studying the molecular basis of olfaction, as well as in global health and biotech communications. He is one of the leading proponents of a contemporary approach to ethics that focuses explicitly on the prevention and alleviation of suffering.

Works involving Jonathan Leighton

The Tango of Ethics

Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering
(Author)

A key paradigm in The Tango of Ethics is the conflict and interplay between two fundamentally different ways of seeing and being in the world — that of the intuitive human being who wants to lead a meaningful life and thrive, and that of the detached, rational agent who wants to prevent unbearable suffering from occurring.

Unknowable Minds
Philosophical Insights on AI and Autonomous Weapons
Mark Bailey
The Tango of Ethics
Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering
Jonathan Leighton
The Sentient Robot
The Last Two Hurdles in the Race to Build Artificial Superintelligence
Rupert Robson
Becoming Artificial
A Philosophical Exploration into Artificial Intelligence and What it Means to be Human
Danial Sonik
The Landscape of Introspection
What Forms Could Introspective Systems Take?
The Psychology of the Bible
Explaining Divine Voices and Visions
Brian J. McVeigh
Iconoclasm, Identity Politics and the Erasure of History
Alexander Adams
Identity Politics and Tribalism
The New Culture Wars
Nikos Sotirakopoulos
The Hope of the Poor
Philosophy, Religion and Economic Development
Gordon Graham
Consciousness and Its Place in Nature
Why Physicalism Entails Panpsychism (2nd Ed.)
Galen Strawson

Works involving Jonathan Leighton

The Tango of Ethics

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