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marsten t1_it8ix35 wrote

Reply to comment by TheRoadsMustRoll in A new UN report explores how to make human civilization safe from destruction. There’s a way to make civilization extinction-proof. But it won’t be easy. by mossadnik

Cathedral-building is a good example and it highlights what is different now: We have so much less certainty about the future than we did in medieval times. Back then people could visualize pretty accurately the world their great-grandchildren would be living in. Now? It's bewildering. What will AI be like in 20 years, let alone 200? How will social norms change? What will be the dominant societal problems? In the face of so much uncertainty it's hard to make long-term plans.

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TheRoadsMustRoll t1_it8ldg1 wrote

>In the face of so much uncertainty it's hard to make long-term plans.

agreed. we've sped up our lead time (for adopting/using new technologies) exponentially. it's hard to know what the future context is going to be at this rate.

i would argue that we could be a lot more efficient at it if we actively mitigated our denial and greed with some reason and humility.

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