Flourishing futures

LessWrong (2009) Fun theory, LessWrong Wiki, June 25.

Fun Theory, LessWrong

Pearce, David (1995/2007)(1995) The Hedonistic Imperative, BLTC Research.Research (updated 2007).

Pearce, David (1995/2007) The Hedonistic Imperative, BLTC Research.

dystopia | existential security | Future of Humanity Institute | Future of Life Institute | hedonium | hellish existential catastrophe | Invincible Wellbeing | long reflection | long-term future | longtermism | motivational | transhumanism | welfare biology

• A better understanding of how positive the future might be or is likely to be is relevant to the question of how much to prioritise reducing existential risks.
• A better understanding of how good and likely various flourishing futures are, and what would make them more or less likely, could aid in generating, prioritising among, and implementing longtermist interventionsinterventions.
• Having clearer pictures of how the future might go extremely well could aid in building support for work to reduce existential risksrisks.
• A better understanding of what futures should be steered towards might aid in working out which scenarios might constitute unrecoverable dystopias or unrecoverable collapses (i.e., existential catastrophes other than extinction).