EA - Personal Reflections on Longtermism by NatKiilu

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Personal Reflections on Longtermism, published by NatKiilu on August 18, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum.Disclaimer: This post is entirely based on my impressions of longtermism as informed by my interaction with the literature, other longtermists, and questions from curious non-longtermists. This post is not a critique of the work being done by longtermists currently but rather a push to widen the category of interventions being pursued under the longtermist umbrella. It may be that I am missing some key facts in which case I would greatly appreciate responses challenging my assumptions, claims, and conclusions. Finally, all views expressed here are solely mine and do not reflect any organizations I am affiliated with directly or indirectly. I take full responsibility for any harmful premises presented.[Summary]This post is a personal reflection on longtermism from my perspective as an African woman living and working in the continent. In the post, I make the claim that it seems as though pursuing the 'flourishing of future generations' such that all future beings lead dignified and worthwhile lives points to the need for us to pursue more interventions that feed into systemic change. I also make this point as a contribution to the of pursuit of good value lock-in. I contend that the values we currently hold substantially lower the quality of life for some groups of people who share traits which have historically been subjected to oppression and marginalization and that failing to work on these issues falls short of the claim that (some) longtermists seek not only the endurance of humanity but its flourishing too.[Earlier impressions]My initial response as a newcomer to EA was to reject longtermism. At the very least, I believed - incorrectly - that the widely accepted sustainability principle already covered its objectives by ensuring that the earth remains habitable for future generations. I also found strong longtermism - that in any set of decision situations, the best decision would be the one with the best consequences for the far-future conclusion - to be quite counterintuitive, especially given my surroundings. Finally, it was also difficult to fully comprehend the sheer numbers cited (scope insensitivity), difficult to believe that we could actually know what would count as protecting future generations (cluelessness), and even then whether these actions would actually lead to their intended consequences given that their effects are to be felt far off into the future (e.g., washing out and rapid diminution).The case for longtermism rests on the following premises: (a) that future people matter, i.e., they have equal moral worth as present people; (b) that by many estimates, they will by far outnumber us; (c) that there are ways in which we can make sure the longterm future goes well; and (d) (according to strong longtermists) that doing so is the greatest moral imperative of our lifetime given what is at stake. My understanding of the work and literature around longtermism seems to indicate that longtermism, broadly speaking, is concerned with two objectives: (a) ensuring that the longterm future exists and humanity's potential is not destroyed or significantly impaired (work here is heavily focused on preventing existential catastrophes) as well as, (b) ensuring that future beings lead flourishing lives (concerns here revolve around the quality of lives and wellbeing of sentient beings existing then, e.g., good value lock in and preventing suffering risks).I gradually came to embrace weak longtermism as a result of frequently exposing myself to discussions on the idea, a commitment to embracing the scout mindset, and becoming aware of some of the cognitive biases at work. Hence, I consider ensuring that the longterm future goes well a priority ...