Given all the suffering, pain, and destruction caused by mankind, Emile Torres, a non-binary philosopher specializing in existential threats, believes that it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if humanity ceased to exist. In their view, most pro-extinctionists would find many ways of extinction unacceptable, but the idea of everyone deciding not to have children is something they see nothing wrong with. Torres has recently published a book titled “Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation,” which is a comprehensive study of this overlooked topic. The book explores the idea that Christianity’s emphasis on the salvation and survival of humanity removed the concept of human extinction from public discourse, despite its focus on end times and apocalypse. Previously, Torres had gained recognition for their critiques of the longtermist movement in publications like Salon, Aeon, and Foreign Policy. However, their new book delves deeper into the arguments they have presented in these articles. Longtermism, a branch of moral philosophy gaining popularity in Silicon Valley, focuses on prioritizing the needs of future generations over current ones. Its proponents, including influential figures like Elon Musk, argue that the potential future population in millions of years could be significantly larger than the current population and should therefore be the primary focus. Longtermism originated from the effective altruism movement, which urges individuals to pursue well-paid careers and donate a significant portion of their income to charitable causes. Torres themselves used to be a longtermist and even published a book reinforcing longtermist arguments, but they have since become one of its most outspoken critics. They were initially attracted to the vision of longtermism due to its grand ideas and large numbers, which appealed to them similarly to the promises made by Christianity. Upon deeper reflection, Torres realized that longtermism shared many similarities with violent utopian movements, which made them concerned about the extreme actions justified by longtermist beliefs. They pointed to Eliezer Yudkowsky’s suggestion of using nuclear arms against rogue AI as an example. Torres believes that the unapologetic utilitarianism of longtermism is its most dangerous aspect, as it can lead to underplaying current problems and justifying any action that ensures humanity’s long-term survival. They discuss the concept of the “repugnant conclusion,” which prioritizes quantity over quality of people’s well-being. While some longtermists reject this idea, Torres argues that projecting too far into the future will inevitably devalue individual lives in favor of maximizing overall value. They also acknowledge that their stance may be viewed as nihilistic but emphasize that their concern lies in minimizing human suffering, including any that would result from human extinction.
Philosophy Books Ignite Human Future Battle: The Controversial Philosopher Advocating Extinction
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