What are the most important moral problems of our time? | Will MacAskill

Of all the problems facing humanity, which should we focus on solving first? In a compelling talk about how to make the world better, moral philosopher Will MacAskill provides a framework for answering this question based on the philosophy of "effective altruism" -- and shares ideas for taking on three pressing global issues.
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[@NoahLoftier]

Here from Non-Trivial.

[@kratozon240hz]

did you recieve a follow up mail?

[@scientist_altruist]

Here from Non-Trivial too!

[@Pati-hp5ui]

​@@scientist_altruist same summer program 🎀🙋🏼‍♀️

[@nabi6725]

@@Pati-hp5uisameee let me know if you get in lol

[@Pati-hp5ui]

@@nabi6725 I forgot to do it, but I'll let you know hah

[@zachneiderhouser]

I'm kinda just a few minutes into this, but the part on factory farming being a neglected concern really got me thinking about something much deeper and much more existential: our lack of appreciation for life as a whole seems like a pretty neglected priority. It's easy and understandable to get hung up on the importance of human life and well being, but it seems unlikely humans are going to last forever. I think it's of utmost importance to keep the flame of life going without regards to our own species. It's easy to be selfish and human centric, but I'd like to think that if aliens found us they would value us as intelligent lifeforms or just lifeforms in general. I'd like to think we'd do the same if we expanded into the stars. I hope that doesn't come off as pretentious and morally self-righteous as I kinda felt typing it. Love any of you that read this either way

[@harveytheparaglidingchaser7039]

.. exactly what I was thinking

[@1258-Eckhart]

Wow, thanks for that! I feel loved. Two thoughts, one of them ballistic: 1. We are ourselves on our own planet "aliens" in the deep ocean. There, there are living creatures we call "cephalopods" with an intelligence similar to ours in computational terms, but totally differently switched. 2. "Keeping the flame of life going" - sorry, ballistic, but I think that this is the teaching of the Catholic Church from the start. The stupid focus on the nature of sexual relations obscures the fundamental teaching that life is only propagated by man-woman love. This keeps the flame of life going, which is (in Catholic terms) God's wish. Gloss: I am NOT a culture warrior headbanger, they would throw me out within seconds. I am a neurodiverse metaphysician (is that a tautology?) seeking a path. Only that.

[@malvikapangavoor1471]

​@@1258-Eckhart I don't think that's what he meant. It could be that we must not destroy other forms of life.

[@1258-Eckhart]

@@malvikapangavoor1471 I agree, it's not what OP meant. I was purposely adding to what he said (related, but new topic). I think we must value all forms of life on earth and I see this as standard Christianity from the beginning.

[@stalin3725]

There is nothing new here except presentation -his pitch is perfect for the age of internet billionaires and middle class affluent who like to feel about guilty about their affluence. He'll be an academic superstar but not is not a philosopher in any serious sense. His talk is all about broad bush self improvement - a message we love, that we can progress to a better world .

[@drewcampbell8555]

Absolutely.

[@pip.pip.pooray]

Why not? Dont you think what he's saying is true?

[@stalin3725]

@@pip.pip.pooray he is not a philosopher so much as a self made public intellectual who must love the idea of giving moral leadership as many such do(such as Jordan P) . we are and have for a long time been trying to sort out these problems but from different standpoints. 'the most good' - utilitarians often think of good as a quantity. that is not how the concept of 'good' functions unless you sign up to his interpretation to begin with. nor in the real world do we retreat from holding contradictory beliefs or 'values'. academics always always want internal consistency. 🍋not in the real world, honey.....no

[@malaleekC]

@@stalin3725 if you may, how did you come to your beliefs? did you realize them or learn about them? i am interested to hear more about why you think his pitch isn't true to his intents.

[@stalin3725]

@@malaleekC i am not saying he is not sincere - sincere believers have caused a lot of harm to the world because they simplify -they believe conflicts can be resolved by agreement, that philosophy allows us to exfoliate superficial difference, when in fact it often does not. utilitarianism leaves open questions of what is good.

[@peggyharris3815]

I'm so glad we are not all depressed and angry.

[@NathansHVAC]

But that's how you get votes on the left.

[@Eanakba]

NathansHVAC that's how you get votes anywhere.

[@danpenia219]

Speak for yourself Peggy, lol

[@peggyharris3815]

@@danpenia219 that was 2 years ago. 😂

[@danpenia219]

@@peggyharris3815 I bet you didn't donate to stop the next pandemic like he says in the video, thanks Peggy lol

[@sdDiadel]

One of the best 'Ted talks' I have seen and heard!

[@harveytheparaglidingchaser7039]

I'm impressed with human progress but where are the graphs for species extinction, plastics pollution, overfishing, forest destruction, insect numbers, ocean dead zones, etc etc.

[@1258-Eckhart]

To be fair, he does, under his category "neglected", address the dystopia of factory farming. Frankly, only through this TED talk do I hear of the apocalyptic levels it has reached. If it takes longtermism to do something about it, so be it.

[@ShadaOfAllThings]

Our lack of Empathy for our fellow human being, no matter who or what they are, is and has been our most pressing moral problem since the dawn of civilization.

[@AdammReilly]

@3 3 case in point

[@marcdoughty-lee2294]

Adam Reilly well that was self fulfilling.

[@ShadaOfAllThings]

Don't you call me a Libtard, I'm a Commie

[@Sattelight897]

Hello! I'm a bit late to the party but if you want to hear a compelling argument that is the opposite of what you said I'd check out Against Empathy by Paul Bloom. Definitely changed my perspective a bit

[@LNVACVAC]

You simply doesn't understand what is empathy.

[@jamespotts8197]

This is an amazing "Ted Talk", "effective altruism" is the direct result of philosophy, the teaching of, in addition to the interest in philosophical conceptualizing of modern global issues. Furthermore, this shows the "true power" of philosophy and it's need for the betterment of humanity.

[@koolarmando]

Well in practice maybe not 😂

[@celestialcircledance]

Will definitely did his research and covered many of the big globe issues . Also reassuring to be reminded that it's not all doom and gloom and how far we've come !

[@lowercase21]

Ethics needs to be taught in school.

[@thinkabout288]

and home

[@hogger3445]

lowercase21 Ha, you’re funny. In order for that to happen, the whole system needs to change. The current system right now makes kids feel like suicide is a logical option.

[@spongmoid842]

Well it is in some countries...

[@naveennandhanan547]

@@spongmoid842 Namely?..

[@jeejee8280]

I had ethics class

[@louiscurry8787]

Impressive framework for thinking. 👍 hugely underrated ted talk.

[@dovrob]

crazy how underrated this talk is

[@Dindonmasker]

great talk! i try to stay aware of the futur generations when making big decisions. my life is a very small part of this, but it's all i have. if everyone that has the choice to make a decision for the better should explore their options.

[@decipheritalian]

They should have a right NOT to be born. The last civil right. The only permanent one.

[@Daniel-Davies-Gonstead-Student]

@@decipheritalian Would you mind elaborating on that or directing me somewhere I could find something explaining that?

[@wiamassabbar]

I really like two things that he talked about and we are facing them today, he talked about global pandemic and that happened, and he talked about how the ai will be secure ، and here we are today companies work for making ai secure

[@anishthota4923]

here from non-trivial

[@siddharthradhakrishnan811]

This video is 12 mins long and was uploaded 1 min ago yet I already see 12 comments saying how good the video is.

[@za012345678998765432]

Cause some people alredy saw it on the ted website

[@canaryimpulse989]

I watch at 2x the speed B)

[@Macheako]

Ghosts bro

[@iain5615]

Can also be that they heard the first few minutes and it was what they wanted to hear.

[@loganrogan605]

siddharth radhakrishnan what you missed is time differences and rate of your internet

[@sunainasahoo6310]

A really great speech that gives a clear idea on how to approach when it comes to the approach and problem solving.

[@mihirgaidhani8460]

that was very insightful and deep!!

[@alexandrabombardier5917]

It is so sad to imagine that humanity may not live to realize all the great things listed at 7:11 because of our own self-destruction and the way we neglect the environment...

[@drewcampbell8555]

I heard this young man speak around 2015, and read one of his books shortly after: 'Doing Good Better'. His philosophy (a rather grand term for his idea, I'm afraid) is, as I read it, pretty thin stuff. I clicked on to see if there was any hint of more developed insight but it seems not. It's OK to be super-rich, he suggests, so long as you're giving back via charity. Not so strong on fair systems of taxation, or paying taxes generally, or better governance, or how reducing inequality might actually unleash a whole host of other benefits. Not necessarily insincere, but ultimately rather shallow stuff.

[@LordGreystoke]

It is shallow stuff. Effective Altruism is the equivalent of the "four hour work week." A load of bullocks and nothing but a marketing scam to take advantage of weak minds and greedy-driven souls.

[@afrazrahman4157]

Thanks for creating awareness

[@canaryimpulse989]

This is a great TED video.

[@sweetwins5054]

good thing to watch during covid

[@awaresoul1389]

Well said!!

[@niklasr.4468]

Amazing Video, amazing speaker, A+

[@vascoamaralgrilo]

Thanks!

[@issafreeworld]

So good and helpful

[@grapeape3633]

The biggest moral problem in the world is selfishness. All we think about is me, myself and I. We don't care for others and even when we try to feel like we care for others, it's guided by our own world view or our desire to feel like "I personally" am making a difference. We are more concerned about being cool, being trendy, being free thinking, being able to not be like "those type of people". Our "compassion" is guided by the way we see the way we want the world to be, and not by what other people need. We think way to highly of ourselves, saying, if we only had deeper thoughts and greater discussion, then we will make a difference. If we set up OUR better world, then those people will be better off. We think that "if we think that we are great, we can do great", but in that we continue to put ourselves higher than others. Stop being selfish, stop building your egos, stop thinking you know it all and have the right way. Our own selfishness is ripping this world apart, everyone of us are to blame.

[@Beebreezy21]

I had to watch/listen to this video twice... what a cutie! and optimistic !

[@habiba4276]

Am I the only one who find this TED talk so hard?

[@hibatallahkhafid2204]

same

[@abhijithb.j619]

it's still worth to watch

[@user-ph4ry4sy9h]

Can anyone explain to me about the diminishing returns

[@zeromailss]

Joke aside, I think educational revolution might be a good idea Edit: I doubt we can transform the world in just one generation, or best bet is to educate the younger generation properly and hope for the best, because from what I can see our current educational system is outdated and we also cannot ignore how parents is also a big factor for child mental growth which usually is beyond reach of school Bad parenting is a big problem

[@iogssothoth666]

Yeah, education is bad. No education on critical thinking, no education on why the scientific method works so well, no education on cognitive biases. Those are the basis of a properly functioning mind, and I bet that's precisely why politicians want anything but to see people educated in that. It's much harder to manipulate critical thinkers.

[@MrKgBizzle]

にゃあエイリアンMeowAlien It usually takes 20 years to change the mindset and about another 30 to see changes.

[@iogssothoth666]

@Finn MacCool why are you saying this? I see nobody arguing for those here...

[@NathansHVAC]

Yes. Educate the youth that if 51% vote to rob the other 49% that's perfectly moral. Actually that's what they already teach.

[@ErikB605]

Whatever "Jungian and Buddhist neuroscience" is. It sure doesn't sound scientific.

[@VisnjaFilipovic-Cherry]

Bravo!!!

[@abinetalemu8793]

good presentation

[@Spatenblatt]

These people truely think big. Great ideas overall

[@user-zb4js9tp1n]

Living in poverty can result in malnutrition, poor health, fewer opportunities for education and increased illness. With an estimated 783 million people living in poverty, eradicating poverty is one of the biggest global issues facing humankind.

[@russellmason5095]

I have just been reading George Marshall's book called 'Don't Even Think About It'. I highly recommend it. It is essentially about how to communucate effectively about climate change, but it also applies to talks such as this The book includes information and evidence about why this type of presentation, which is dependent on communicating arguments via a series of graphs is not an effective form of communication for most audiences. I suggest that anyone who is relying on the type of presentation given here reads the book carefully and implements the advice. One thing is to understand know what is important (as the presenter here clearly does). Knowing how to push the buttons of your audience is another thing.

[@sanjanabehera7445]

All boils down to the fact that humans in general are untrustworthy. All start with a good intent, but slowly give in to the corruptible practices. Hats off to people like him for thinking on a macro perspective. I hope it triggers thoughts and reactions among the people in charge. :)

[@atlas956]

I know you wrote this years ago, and might think differently by now. but a core part of Effective Altruism is the fact that the "people in charge" can't be left unattended to hopefully make better choices for all of us. if it triggers thoughts and reactions in you, that's enough. I know it's hard to feel like your life or efforts matter on the grand scale, but I promise that they do. in fact, some the EA people (of which I am one) try their hardest to do the impossible and BECOME part of the people in charge and do good. it all looks impossible and scary at first.

[@IamJay]

*T* - _technology_ *E* - _entertainment_ *D* - _design_

[@AM-fh7ek]

FRANTIC ™ nice 👌

[@a.kay.c]

"is that really what it stands for? I never knew that..."

[@IamJay]

@@a.kay.c yes that is.

[@Mookiethedog]

nailed it with a global pandemic

[@OliviaHarrison731]

and creating viruses of unprecedented contagiousness and lethality

[@-whackd]

1. Existential risks to humanity from artificial general intelligence. 2. Feeding, getting electricity and sanitation to the bottom billion.

[@PresidentialWinner]

Thank you!

[@mercermakesmusic]

Most under-rated Ted Talk?

[@stars4limits]

Concise and precise, focused on solutions and mutual improvement, rather than fear, competition and division. As poverty disappears hopefully so will resistance to this young man’s ideas. There are still too many of us today barely surviving, expending all our daily energy, too tired to think about or process information like this. We are susceptible to anger and over simplistic excuses for shared misery. Oftentimes fingerpointing is the easiest way to justify failure, bad luck, etc. We need to blame someone, be it the rich, racists, men, poor people, moochers, immigrants, anyone other than ourselves. Its up to the few of us who are able, to help lead the many by example so that we can coexist with better versions of ourselves and develop an environment where more enlightened people can contribute to valuable big picture discussions rather than to basic divisive arguments.

[@roxxcoroxx498]

I JUST WISH WE COULD LIVE WITH NATURE AND ANIMALS EVERYWHERE - AS ONE

[@janhaveejaware9138]

SAME

[@jasenkavukelic5047]

Like this guy.

[@jasenkavukelic5047]

Dack Hacksaw Thank you! And God bless you too!

[@b25jmitchell]

I philanthropy really the solution to the biggest problems today? All of our major issues are man-made. Apart from to some extent health issues. But in his example of helping philanthropically with factory farming?? Throwing more money at it isn’t going to help. Companies and corporations that created generations of fast food eaters need to change so that they stop needing to house billions of animals in torturous conditions. Ethics really is the key. And when people set out to make money, ethics is very often thrown out the window.

[@raindropsofsky]

Money and success are not always more important than morality and ethics. Morality and ethics are not always more important than money and success. I am wavering between these two statements.

[@LloydJAnthony]

The examples to show things improving are based on benefit to humans, whilst one of the three problems listed is of detriment to animals. If correlation means causation (which, admittedly, in most cases it doesn't), the suggestion is surely that as humans better their own lives, they make it worse for the rest of the world, which is a big problem when you consider we can't survive without the rest of it - democracy or not. I saw the point on the graph suggested where nobody lived in poverty, but failed to see any point where anybody but humans were benefited - which is rather isolationist.

[@Daniel-Davies-Gonstead-Student]

I hear what you're saying - sometimes it feels like the best thing for the environment would be for humanity to collapse or move off-earth, like to Mars etc and give Earth back... If that makes sense.

[@diegorodas4623]

Y'all talking about his presentation and i can only think about how sexy is this nerd guy. His voice and his accent makes him look older, but this is somehow a plus.

[@kevincarter7633]

wonderful

[@rva]

Smart man

[@MainroadX]

Stop commenting on other videos and make a new reaction video on King Diamond already 😁😉

[@aidanwoodward3975]

@@MainroadX says the group of grown men who cry over spilled milk (literally)

[@aidanwoodward3975]

@@MainroadX You try being right in a situation where people don't listen when they need to and don't realize until it's too late P.s eff u pont out a speling mistke u r weec So don't point anything thing out And dont think deleting that one short will do anything because nothing is truly deleted

[@kwailcamp]

Simple. Some are all about getting as much as they can to live as luxuriously as they can while ignoring the fact that the rest of the world exists.

[@vexivero]

"Which selfie should I post"

[@michael_terna_adigam]

This is nice

[@arabellac]

Why does this come across as so peculiarly and deeply inauthentic? I'm left extremely disturbed by this individual, but perhaps it's just me.

[@LordGreystoke]

It's not just you. It's those of us who can see through the BS that effective altruism is. It's about "philosophers" looking for a way to be relevant and come up with a marketing ploy to help sell books.

[@insanerajput9883]

It's totally something very concerning because after this ted talk we just see Boirisk like corona pandemic which was definitely created by human interference so yaa i am ready to work on it..... 😊

[@murdochmozart]

4:48 corona 😢😅

[@laraveinberg5648]

I recommend reading Gideon Lewis-Kraus' article in the New Yorker for a balanced perspective on the effective altruism movement and MacAskill as it's most visible leader. Even as an EA member, it was quite eye opening. The majority of us are, quite frankly, bonkers. We must be careful about the human tendency for philosophical fanaticism, in any community. Here's a taster from the article: "Longtermism also led to some bizarre conclusions. Depending on the probabilities one attaches to this or that outcome, something like a .0001-per-cent reduction in over-all existential risk might be worth more than the effort to save a billion people today."

[@JeanneleeYin]

ggood recomendation

[@atlas956]

I agree. effective altruism is a good thing (I'm part of it) but please don't take everyone and their ideas at their literal word 100% of the time. if their humanism means deliberately leaving hundreds of thousands of people in the present to suffer or die, it's probably not very good. dead bodies don't really care about good future intentions.

[@MrGuidoCaligiore]

Looking for a synthesis

[@keithfoester7326]

effective altruism is only as effective as an informed democracy.

[@layla8830]

As an Individual we are able to know every single problem on this earth and it's cause but we do not act on it

[@tygomes8938]

Any one catch Mike Posner at 11:20?

[@melancholicruby2873]

Wow

[@austenforrester7723]

MacAskill only mentioned technical/environmental threats to humanity's existence. However, the social threats are at least as important -- the cults and ideologies that seek to destroy humanity must also be aggressively eradicated. Humanity's survival is more important than freedom of speech.

[@zakihassanabdi8679]

Technology Entertainment & Design morale plz

[@EuDouArteHipHopArtCulture21]

Altruism ? no . facing our responsibility , is not altruism . you not altruist, you are responsible .

[@MishelFayad]

This young man is a genius, just look up his work so far! I would argue he might as well be from the future! 😄

[@neillynch_ecocidologist]

That speech is absolute gash. I've written a critique above. You should check it out.

[@MishelFayad]

I can't find it. When did you posted it?

[@neillynch_ecocidologist]

Along with his writing, he works for Oxford University. The same Oxford University that's going to want a 'it's business as usual' ethos permeating the planet even as things get uglier and uglier.

[@layla8830]

As Leonard Cohen said "Everybody knows"

[@Anne-FromQc]

This young man should talk with Daniel Schmachtenberger.

[@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113]

"Continue overpopulating this particular Planet and Humanity will live, forever", is what i heard, in a nutshell. Great idea.

[@extinctionistrecordsblackm6380]

the most neglected and pressing moral problem isnt any of those in this video. its actually Wild Animal Suffering

[@jacobmolina6259]

I don't think it hits the solvable part of the analysis

[@jaysn1683]

Love should be taught. As a consequence, people who then would love future generations might face the risks of climate change and try to prevent it from becoming worse all together. Parents that don't care about climate change are a contradiction.

[@PresidentialWinner]

How do you teach Love?

[@wassabiii600]

4:24 ill like to see where he got those numbers from...because it really doesnt make sense.

[@noemi9985]

here's a link it's not the same data but its the same trend, people give more money to shelters than farmed animals animalcharityevaluators.org/donation-advice/why-farmed-animals/

[@AvailableUsernameTed]

or go to Vegas like the airline ad that followed this video suggested

[@richardgamrat1944]

the better angles of our nature

[@LughSummerson]

An *acute* mind leads to *right* thinking, but *obtuse* minds act on *reflex.*

[@dr.samuraisminutelecture7064]

I AGREE. IT IS ABOUT TIME TO TEACH CLEARLY IN SCHOOL ALTRUISM REACHES HIGHER HAPPINESS THAN SELF-CENTEREDNESS😀

[@josephinedelatonga1273]

Wow, here we are in 2020 and well we are facing global pandemic.

[@aneefahbabatunde7828]

Seriously

[@cskim4515]

oh yes, the framework and the driving force behind SBF's FTX. At least sounds great on paper.

[@danfarley320]

The heart of the human problem is the problem with the human heart. This is self-evident. We all have an innate concept of wanting to do the right thing but are unable to stop doing the contrary. No amount of education, policy making, rule making, conditioning is going to cure this. There's only one 'Way' that problem can be sorted, and His Kingdom started 2000 years ago. Don't get me wrong, I think this talk highlights some really important things, but there's no point in asking if the human race is worth saving based on a concept of "good", if, after pursuing the logic of humanistic materialism to the bottom, you cannot even agree what "good" is, and if it even exists. And after 500 million years (according to Will's talk) it'll be like humans never existed and there'll be nobody to appreciate the pinnacle of the "good" that was achieved, nor recompense for the "non-good" that was dished out. So what's the point? Please re-title the talk "Animated bags of chemicals dealing with 'guilt': a futile discussion about cultural preferences for living"

[@pip.pip.pooray]

Could you please expand more on what you mean by "after pursuing the logic of humanistic materialism to the bottom, you cannot even agree what "good" is, and if it even exists."?

[@ronlong2400]

I believe another selection criteria should also be used: Will the solution of a problem cause the creation of a worse problem, e.g. solve hunger then too many people.

[@ErikB605]

The countries with the most food have the lowest birthrates. High birthrates are usually caused by lach of pensions. If your future is uncertain it is better to have children that can take care of you.

[@Daniel-Davies-Gonstead-Student]

Yeah I get what you're saying. In the questions posed they talk of "greater good" so I guess when you're trying to solve for what the "greater good" is, you must account for those potential negatives.

[@ChengZhang-Hefei]

In my opinion, the problems listed in this talk are rather academic and superficial in nature? I dont think we can solve problems based on systems that created those problems. New ideas and practices rather than our current money-driven systems are needed.

[@Daniel-Davies-Gonstead-Student]

Existential crises are superficial?

[@texomatinker414]

Idealism is a good thing to motivate, but reality is another thing. You can't have universal solutions when there is no universal agreement about the problems. There is no universal moral standard and, lacking this, a moral solution is doomed.

[@PresidentialWinner]

"There is no universal moral standard" Why do you think this is so?

[@Adam-oz5cz]

whos watching now, about how he is saying our global healthcare is incredible, while there is a global pandemic...

[@mcdavy1543]

Sociology is another’s thought, for evolution to go in a positive way of life.

[@rajt4375]

What do you mean?

[@alphastrength3402]

Nothing compared to the things I've learned from the video yesterday

[@01mustang05]

Most important moral problems of our time? IMO MY ANSWER: A SEVERE LACK OF GOOD MORALS AND/OR A SEVERE LACK OF GOOD MORAL REASONING. I think we all need to figure out and practice being HARMLESS or at least a lot less harmful; only I also think the so-called awakened, and/or the somewhat morally reasonable people, are in the minority and still harmed by the majority of practices by the majority that are ruled as not wrong when they really are. I don't know how to fix this and/or these problems, I wouldn't be able to fix it all by myself anyway, this's something that has to be agreed upon by some people, then grow to most. I don't think I changed though, I think I just got smarter about the ugly truth, others should be able to do the same but IDK. If too many people don't have the capacity to change and evolve, without hurting people, especially children who have no means to escape, defend themselves, and get stupid and abusive people to stop hurting people, then what?

[@pip.pip.pooray]

Do you think it could be education/conditioning? This seems to tick off the boxes of giving people the ability and means to change and evolve without hurting others like you mentioned. What i mean is by instilling good morals from a very young age.

[@01mustang05]

@@pip.pip.pooray Ya I don't think bullying has worked out too well for humanity. And I don't think we agree on what good morals even are. Plus "instilling"? - that feels very harmful and something that has already been practiced and has failed; I'd rather help children figure out what we all have in common and realize why so many bad things happen when they come across it. while keeping in mind their level of maturity.

[@01mustang05]

@@pip.pip.pooray Also, I re-edited my opening comment - seeing as it was confusing for me when I wrote it. Plus it was three years ago when I was being severely harmed by Family Court, still am, but I'm much more clear about how harmed so-called authorities and other are and have been.

[@closetcynic8968]

When the human race has reached,through some way, a point where every member has the ability to do anything he desires without hurting anyone else, immortality, unlimited resources, essentially a god-like state, what then? Do we need obsticals to survive ? Some goal for which to live ? Why should sysiphus be happy?

[@RomasKalash]

Closet Cynic have you had any progress with this thought since posting? I know what you mean.. what’s the point of existence without the counterbalance of suffering, some might say... if we just want to make the world comfortable for everyone then the inevitable conclusion is to be plugged into a computer. Any stimulus which acts in any way as a discomfort does not meet with this ultimate desire for comfort and pleasure, so ... then what.

[@mhtinla]

BIG TALK

[@robinferdous9164]

So the most important problems of our time are the ones to come in the future? It makes sense to plan ahead, but that's like neglecting today's crops to plan for next decades harvest.

[@lst_sul2118]

The next decade won't be able to plant if we don't plan

[@steveharding8965]

Does anything matter in the end?

[@01mustang05]

What's the end? How do you know? Do you expect others to be careful to not cause you and others to feel harmed? Yes you do, so ya good moral reasoning and good improvement and agreements matters.

[@decipheritalian]

Suffering. Stop it. Don't breed feeling things.

[@01mustang05]

@@decipheritalian “Suffering”? - who, where, when? “Stop it”? - Who, What, Where, When, and Why? “Don’t breed feeling things”? -“Don’t”? - Who are you to tell anyone what to do? What person in their right mind would take and/or assume authority of and/or over another? “Breed things”? - Bring up things? How are you not sick, abusive, tyrannical, and insane even? How could anyone in their right mind write “Suffering. Stop it. Don't breed feeling things” ? ? ? ! ! ! Seems to me you’re the one suffering, Simon S.

[@johnellis7614]

If life is a free gift that we do not deserve and have no right to, than we should have the grateful humility to acknowledge that we own nothing, that everything we have belongs to those who have less and be motivated to give all we can give. On the other hand, if life is an unalienable right due and owed to us, than we need to self-actualize, to be all we can be, to earn all we can earn, take all we can take, own all we can own and to be a dictator over all who are on land that we own.

[@pip.pip.pooray]

It seems like a lot of people adopt the second view. I very much prefer the first, it is right and not self focused.

[@MandoPrime1138]

Poor funding isn’t always the issue. It’s the people at the top who need fixing. Governments need to start thinking with their hearts and not their wallets.

[@agginswaggin]

Free Roderick!

[@carstars]

Is progress a reason?

[@michaelc2644]

Missing a key point. You never consider how to determine what is a problem? Your second example Factory Farming is not universally understood to be a problem. My point is your premise fails before it gets off the ground.

[@edjohn5114]

I love some of the things he’s talking about, but I think you have to be completely selfless as Will claims to be to be the best altruist you can be, and that’s why I don’t like the idea of altruism. I read his book a while back called “Doing Good Better” and I specifically remember detesting his radical ideas of taking on jobs that pay better so I can donate more and even going into a profession I don’t like just to be more effective in my altruism. Am I too selfish to donate to things I care about ? No. But I am too selfish to direct my life based on helping other people, at the cost of my own happiness as well. But maybe Will is happy to do these things and it’s not at the cost of his happiness. Personally just not for me, and unfortunately, most humans are like this or much worse.

[@iain5615]

Highest priorities are to put in place the systems that allowed the west to become rich. Solve that and all of what is being discussed - health, food, and catastrophes will improve too. Good and just rule of law to give everyone equal rights. Strong deterrence on corruption Decent education without ideology to all children Freedom of speech, freedom of rights, freedom of belief. These are all based on a free and protected judiciary from political interference. A board of judges to overview who are also fully subject to the law. Plus a proper schooling system of independent schools that must achieve certain standards independent of political interference. In many poor countries corruption and political power are what hold the countries back. There are other important institutions such as a police force that is subject to the above rules with those of authority subject to charge if normal officers are highly corrupt, etc. Those countries that systematically try to improve would receive more aid for infrastructure, education, etc. The fewer countries that need assistance means more focus on those who need focus and even enforcement. So the faster some progress the better.

[@PresidentialWinner]

here here, smart man.

[@sirdavis1228]

Money in politics, hands down.

[@pedroselman7699]

Ehmmm..(clears throat) Corruption.

[@pnarey]

That sounds like a US specific observation. The scope of this video is bigger.

[@Trivve]

Paul Narey Money in politics is a worldwide problem, in the US they just make it legal.

[@khyliekayemondragon3335]

Can someone give me a moral issue and list some of it's premises:((