Will MacAskill, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Oxford and co-founder of the effective altruism movement, dives deep into the importance of long-term thinking for future generations. He talks about pressing issues like climate change and AI, stressing our moral responsibility to act wisely today. The discussion highlights the balance between immediate needs and long-term goals, empowering individuals to make a difference through effective altruism. MacAskill also addresses misconceptions surrounding the movement and celebrates its growing global appeal.
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Longtermism Defined
Longtermism emphasizes protecting future generations' interests far more than we currently do.
It prioritizes the potential vastness of future lives and our ability to improve them.
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Timescale of Longtermism
Longtermism considers future people's interests regardless of when they live.
MacAskill believes current actions can impact not just near-future generations, but potentially all future generations.
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Longtermism vs. Sustainability
Longtermism differs from sustainability by applying consistent moral reasoning.
MacAskill argues moral considerations shouldn't change based on someone's time period.
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In this book, William MacAskill advocates for longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority. He argues that future people count, there could be many of them, and we can make their lives better. MacAskill discusses various threats to humanity, including climate change, AI misalignment, and pandemics, and proposes strategies to ensure civilization's survival and improve its trajectory. The book explores moral and philosophical issues surrounding longtermism, including the risks of human extinction, civilizational collapse, and technological stagnation, while offering a measured optimism about the future's potential for human flourishing[1][5][4].
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Will MacAskill is the philosopher thinking a million years into the future who is also having a bit of a moment in the present. As Associate Professor in Philosophy and Research Fellow at the Global Priorities Institute at the University of Oxford, he is co-founder of the effective altruism movement, which uses evidence and reason as the driver to help maximise how we can better resource the world. MacAskill's writing has found fans ranging from Elon Musk to Stephen Fry and his new book is What We Owe the Future: A Million-Year View. Our host on the show is Max Roser, Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Global Development and founder and editor of Our World in Data.
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