Episode · Modern Wisdom · 2022-08-13
Books mentioned on How Long Could Humanity Continue For? - Will MacAskill - #512
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.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Precipice
The Precipice by Toby Ord is a rigorous philosophical and scientific assessment of existential risks that threaten the future survival of human civilization.
Discussed“uh where number one among those which Toby talks about at length and where you know you can see the precipice and what we owe the future”
Where to get it
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1984
1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme government surveillance, historical negationism, and psychological manipulation.
Discussed“depending on what that ideology is like could be very bad indeed you know some something like what you got in 1984 George Orwell with the handmaid's tale Mark outward”
Where to get it
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The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian society where women's rights are stripped away and fertile individuals are forced into reproductive servitude.
Discussed“depending on what that ideology is like could be very bad indeed you know some something like what you got in 1984 George Orwell with the handmaid's tale Mark outward”
Where to get it
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Superintelligence
Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom is an influential examination of the potential risks and pathways associated with the emergence of artificial general intelligence surpassing human cognitive capabilities.
Discussed“I was like the early drafts of Nick bostom super intelligence I was part of these seminar rooms”
Where to get it
