Bastian Blankenburg 🤝 🛡Came across this discussion of longtermism and -ists (like Peter Thiel or Elon Musk):
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@robertfromont/109337276645054443
There are links in there to an article and a video that explain (the problems with) it really well:
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/the-dangerous-ideas-of-longtermism-and-existential-risk
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_M64BSzcRY
My personal conclusion: sufficiently advanced longtermism isn't distinguishable from nazism.
Robert Fromont (@[email protected])
Fast forward to recently, when I spotted #WilliamMacAskill's #WhatWeOweTheFuture, which is all about how we owe it to future generations to not screw up the present. It recognises that humanity can now drive itself to extinction, and tries to figure out some strategies for avoiding that. It seemed like it might press my armageddon fascination buttons but offer some rays of hope, and maybe suggest concrete actions.