Making Sense with Sam Harris #292 — How Much Does the Future Matter?
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Aug 14, 2022 William MacAskill, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford and co-founder of the Center for Effective Altruism, dives deep into the philosophy of effective altruism and longtermism. He discusses our ethical responsibilities to future generations and the existential risks we face. The conversation tackles the challenges of short-termism in politics, the complex relationship between doing good and feeling good, and the potential dangers of unaligned AI. MacAskill emphasizes the importance of thoughtful decision-making to safeguard the future of humanity.
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Effective Altruism Defined
- Effective altruism (EA) is a philosophy and community focused on maximizing the good done with time and resources.
- It considers all problems to find the highest-impact actions, unlike typical do-gooders.
Longtermism Explained
- Longtermism prioritizes the well-being of future generations, recognizing the potential scale and impact of our actions.
- It considers not only the length of civilization, but also its overall quality and values.
Existential Risks
- Existential risks are threats to humanity's long-term potential, encompassing both extinction and dystopian futures.
- These risks are not negligible, having a non-trivial probability in our lifetimes.
