Contents
Longtermism is an ethical framework which holds that the impact of our actions on the long-term future matters. A simple thought experiment makes a strong case: if in the blink of an eye all life on Earth could be wiped out without any suffering, would we consider that a morally neutral act, or a negative one? If like me you’d consider that a bad thing, you are committed to the belief that the future matters morally to some extent. Of course, how that value trades off against present needs remains an open question.
Further Reading
- Definition on the effective altruism forums (there’s quite a bit of philosophical overlap between longtermists caring about ensuring the long-term future and effective altruists thinking about how best to positively effect it)
Criticisms
- “Against longtermism” by Phil Torres argues that focusing on the long-term future of humanity leads inevitably to neglecting any present suffering that doesn’t rise to the level of existential risk. Torres quotes longtermist and philosopher of existential risk Nick Bostrum saying that unchecked climate change might be “a giant massacre for man” but only “a small misstep for mankind”. Torres assumes this statement is equivalent to advocating for said massacre, but I don’t find that implication valid, though the Bostrom’s statement certainly lends itself to misconstrual. Torres later argues that anyone who thinks the future of humanity is so important must be willing to sacrifice present humans for the future’s sake (“the ends justify the means”) but here Torres is attributing a belief to longtermists that he provides little evidence any of them actually hold. Finally, Torres objects (justifiably, I think) to total utilitarianism and implies that all longtermists are total utilitarians, a label many of them reject, which rejection Torres calls a “smoke-and-mirrors act to deflect criticisms” instead of engaging it with evidence. Overall, I think Torres highlights a number of ways that caring deeply about humanity’s future could be taken too far, but fails to logically connect these to longtermism as promoted and practiced today.