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Modern WisdomAug 13, 2022

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

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For? on Modern Wisdom.

Guest

Will MacAskill

Books mentioned

The Precipice What We Owe the Future The Long Reflection+1 more

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#512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For? mentions The Precipice by Toby Ord, What We Owe the Future by William McCaskill, The Long Reflection, and Hiroshima with timestamps, quotes, and episode context.

The Precipice What We Owe the Future The Long Reflection Hiroshima

3 books from this episode

The Precipice

Toby Ord

He believes that humanity is at a very particularly unique, dangerous inflection point in between sort of prehistory and our civilizational inheritan…

What We Owe the Future

William McCaskill

One thing, uh, the writing, the book, like what we owe the future has made me appreciate is just that like chain model change takes time.

The Long Reflection

I call these ideas, this idea of kind of exploring and trying to figure out, um, different things, a model, a model, the exploratory society in the b…

Guest: Will MacAskill

Episode summary

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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The Precipice

Toby Ord

The host mentions 'The Precipice' to highlight the unique and dangerous inflection point humanity is currently facing…

Card

What We Owe the Future

William McCaskill

The host mentions 'What We Owe the Future' to emphasize the importance of considering various existential risks beyon…

Card

The Long Reflection

The host discusses the importance of taking time to reflect on humanity's goals and future, referencing the book 'The…

Card

Hiroshima

The host discusses the resilience of civilization in the face of catastrophic events, using Hiroshima as a key exampl…

Card

In What We Are the Future

The host discusses the role of culture in driving significant societal changes, particularly in relation to the aboli…

Card

What We Are the Future

The host mentions 'What We Are the Future' to highlight its complementary insights alongside Toby Ord's 'The Precipic…

Card

Book mentions6

Media mentions1

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

Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For? on Modern Wisdom.

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What are the main takeaways from #512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For??

These are the strongest takeaways surfaced by the transcript, summary copy, and linked mentions for #512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For?.

The conversation centers on civilization collapse and recovery.
A second recurring theme is cultural influence on change.
Referenced books include The Precipice by Toby Ord and What We Owe the Future by William McCaskill.
The strongest audience signal points to Individuals interested in existential risks and future generations and Individuals interested in existential risk and future planning.

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Which books are mentioned in #512 - Will MacAskill - How Long Could Humanity Continue For??

The Precipice by Toby Ord, What We Owe the Future by William McCaskill, and The Long Reflection are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to transcript timestamps and quote cards.

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Top triggers

civilization collapse and recovery(1)cultural influence on change(1)future existential risks(1)humanity's future considerations(1)long-termism and future risks(1)long-termism and risks(1)

Mention sentiment

Deep Dive(5)Highly Recommended(1)

Audience signals

Individuals interested in existential risks and future generationsIndividuals interested in existential risk and future planningPhilosophers, futurists, and anyone interested in existential risksIndividuals interested in history, resilience, and technology recoveryIndividuals interested in social science and cultural studiesReaders interested in existential risks and long-term planning

Books Mentioned

The full list below is ranked by how useful each mention is to a listener: stronger recommendation language, clearer quote context, and better timestamp support rise first.

The Precipice

Toby Ord

Best for Individuals interested in existential risks and future generationsOften cited around long-termism and risks

“The speaker fell in love with 'The Precipice' by Toby Ord, discussing its premise about humanity being at a unique, dangerous inflection point.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: long-termism and risks

For: Individuals interested in existential risks and future generations

Key quote: “He believes that humanity is at a very particularly unique, dangerous inflection point in between sort of prehistory and our civilizational inheritance that we could continue on and be lovely and flourishing with.”

The host mentions 'The Precipice' to highlight the unique and dangerous inflection point humanity is currently facing. They emphasize that the book discusses the vast potential for human flourishing and the importance of considering long-term impacts of our actions today.

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What We Owe the Future

William McCaskill

Best for Individuals interested in existential risk and future planningOften cited around future existential risks

“Will McCaskill also refers to his book 'What We Owe the Future' while discussing how to make a difference in the world.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: future existential risks

For: Individuals interested in existential risk and future planning

Key quote: “One thing, uh, the writing, the book, like what we owe the future has made me appreciate is just that like chain model change takes time.”

The host mentions 'What We Owe the Future' to emphasize the importance of considering various existential risks beyond just climate change. They express concern that the focus on climate change may overshadow other critical issues that require attention and action.

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The Long Reflection

Best for Philosophers, futurists, and anyone interested in existential risksOften cited around humanity's future considerations

“The speaker refers to a concept called 'the long reflection' in the context of exploring different ideas and ensuring moral progress before making significant decisions.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: humanity's future considerations

For: Philosophers, futurists, and anyone interested in existential risks

Key quote: “I call these ideas, this idea of kind of exploring and trying to figure out, um, different things, a model, a model, the exploratory society in the book with the kind of the limit case of that I call the long, the long reflection.”

The host discusses the importance of taking time to reflect on humanity's goals and future, referencing the book 'The Long Reflection' to emphasize the need for careful deliberation before making significant decisions. This book presents the idea of an exploratory society where humanity can consider various futures and moral progress before rushing into actions like space settlement.

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Hiroshima

Best for Individuals interested in history, resilience, and technology recoveryOften cited around civilization collapse and recovery

“In the book I discuss many other ways in which locally, societies have like taken these enormous knocks and then kind of bounced back. I give the example of Hiroshima as well.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: civilization collapse and recovery

For: Individuals interested in history, resilience, and technology recovery

Key quote: “Within 13 years, the population was back to, um, the population back to normal.”

The host discusses the resilience of civilization in the face of catastrophic events, using Hiroshima as a key example of recovery. They highlight how, despite the devastation, the city rebounded within a short period, illustrating the potential for civilization to bounce back after significant setbacks.

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In What We Are the Future

Best for Individuals interested in social science and cultural studiesOften cited around cultural influence on change

“The speaker discusses the cultural change as the primary driver of the abolition of slavery, which is a central theme in the book.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: cultural influence on change

For: Individuals interested in social science and cultural studies

Key quote: “I think that the primary driver of the abolition of slavery throughout the world was a cultural change.”

The host discusses the role of culture in driving significant societal changes, particularly in relation to the abolition of slavery. They reference the book 'In What We Are the Future' to emphasize that moral arguments and cultural shifts were primary drivers of this historical change, rather than purely economic factors.

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What We Are the Future

Best for Readers interested in existential risks and long-term planningOften cited around long-termism and future risks

“Will McCaskill mentions his book 'What We Are the Future' which he believes will be out when the podcast is launched.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: long-termism and future risks

For: Readers interested in existential risks and long-term planning

Key quote: “My book is kind of compliments to each other.”

The host mentions 'What We Are the Future' to highlight its complementary insights alongside Toby Ord's 'The Precipice.' Both books emphasize the importance of considering long-term impacts of our actions on future generations and the potential risks humanity faces.

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