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#512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For?

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Aug 13, 2022

Guest

Will MacAskill

Will MacAskill, a philosopher and co-founder of Effective Altruism, discusses the importance of long-term thinking for humanity's future. He explores existential risks, the implications of technological advancements, and the need for moral flexibility in governance. MacAskill emphasizes how today's actions can shape the lives of trillions to come. He also critiques societal norms, like the 'Happy Birthday' song, and advocates for proactive measures to ensure a thriving future while navigating potential threats like engineered pandemics.

01:34:14

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insights

INSIGHT

Vast Future

Humans think on short timescales, but civilization could last billions of years.
We're at the very beginning of history, and future generations will see us as ancients.

insights

INSIGHT

Longtermism

Longtermism emphasizes the importance of future generations’ interests.
It considers how present actions affect civilization’s trajectory.

insights

INSIGHT

Crucial Inflection Point

Humanity is at a crucial inflection point regarding its civilizational inheritance.
Our actions now significantly impact this vast potential future.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Navigating Humanity's Future

05:01 • 23min

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The Limitations of Cultural Lock-In: A Critique of the Happy Birthday Song

28:30 • 5min

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The Cultural Dynamics of Norm Enforcement and Social Change

33:28 • 5min

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Harmonizing Happiness and Humanity's Future

38:15 • 2min

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Assessing the Risks of Engineered Pandemics and Future Technologies

39:51 • 5min

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Navigating Governance and Existential Risks

44:40 • 27min

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Navigating Humanity's Future Risks

01:11:11 • 25min

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Empowering Actions for a Better Future

01:36:07 • 3min

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• Mentioned in 968 episodes

1984

George Orwell

Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.

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The Precipice

Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity

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In this book, Toby Ord argues that humanity is in a uniquely dangerous period, which he terms 'the Precipice,' beginning with the first atomic bomb test in 1945. Ord examines various existential risks, including natural and anthropogenic threats, and estimates that there is a one in six chance of humanity suffering an existential catastrophe within the next 100 years. He advocates for a major reorientation in how we see the world and our role in it, emphasizing the need for collective action to minimize these risks and ensure a safe future for humanity. The book integrates insights from multiple disciplines, including physics, biology, earth science, computer science, history, anthropology, statistics, international relations, and moral philosophy.

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The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense.

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What We Owe the Future

William MacAskill

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.

#387

• Mentioned in 46 episodes

What We Owe the Future

William MacAskill

Will MacAskill is a philosopher, ethicist, and one of the originators of the Effective Altruism movement.

Humans understand that long term thinking is a good idea, that we need to provide a good place for future generations to live. We try to leave the world better than when we arrived for this very reason. But what about the world in one hundred thousand years? Or 8 billion? If there's trillions of human lives still to come, how should that change the way we act right now?

Expect to learn why we're living through a particularly crucial time in the history of the future, the dangers of locking in any set of values, how to avoid the future being ruled by a malevolent dictator, whether the world has too many or too few people on it, how likely a global civilisational collapse is, why technological stagnation is a death sentence and much more...

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