I can’t help but feel that the appeal of longtermism is simply that
it provides a convenient way to justify one’s apathy to actual human
suffering with some intellectual hand waving about exponential numbers
of future humans.
There was a bit from the profile on EA that got posted here a few months back that had a great example of this, with Macaskill jogging past a large homeless encampment while waxing poetic about a hypothetical future that he can somehow save.
It's just a way for the most disconnected tech optimists to evangelize and make a case for being in positions of power and authority.
In this video, Sabine sneers at the wealthy people who think they can
shape the distant future with any sort of precision (the “longtermist”
branch of “effective altruism”).
Maybe it's more like complacent complicity: everything is still fine for us and this will all blow over after these clowns have had their fun and gotten bored
Objectively from which observer in which frame of… oh wait no it would just be fun, proof left as exercise for nerd that cares more about quantum gravity ;)
I have some philosophical differences with Sabine’s videos but this
is a good one. Not nearly enough sneering at the absolutely nonsensical
stuff this branch of misapplied econometrics perpetuates in order to get
grant money from technocratic vampires, but for a mostly attempting to
be scientific point of view it’s good.
Everyone should read Existential Physics, though. One of my
favourite broader audiences philosophy of science books in a while.
Just small fyi, of all the various transhumanists elon musk (not fan
btw) is a bit of an odd one, iirc he is one of the few who doesnt want
to live forever (at least according to his own words). So while he says
a lot of the same things how badly broken his brain is re longtermism is
still in doubt.
Musk isn't really a thinker or ideas guy, he seems to just latch onto things he read here and there, like that time he became convinced by simulation theory. It's absurd that the media presented his opinion on the matter as authoritative.
Okay, this is very good. “Bostrom is now director of the Future of Humanity’s Institute where he makes a living multiplying by powers of ten.”
I can’t help but feel that the appeal of longtermism is simply that it provides a convenient way to justify one’s apathy to actual human suffering with some intellectual hand waving about exponential numbers of future humans.
In this video, Sabine sneers at the wealthy people who think they can shape the distant future with any sort of precision (the “longtermist” branch of “effective altruism”).
I don’t think the claim that the intellectual elite were behind world war 2 (7:17) is substantiated.
lmao I would love if Sabine Hossenfelder of all people showed up here in person
I have some philosophical differences with Sabine’s videos but this is a good one. Not nearly enough sneering at the absolutely nonsensical stuff this branch of misapplied econometrics perpetuates in order to get grant money from technocratic vampires, but for a mostly attempting to be scientific point of view it’s good.
Everyone should read Existential Physics, though. One of my favourite broader audiences philosophy of science books in a while.
Easy
Just small fyi, of all the various transhumanists elon musk (not fan btw) is a bit of an odd one, iirc he is one of the few who doesnt want to live forever (at least according to his own words). So while he says a lot of the same things how badly broken his brain is re longtermism is still in doubt.
Didnt watch the vid linked btw.