If you'd like to review the new pdf of Losing My Religions, please contact me or click here. TY!
This whole thing (video or transcript) is great. Pinker is a very well-read, highly-informed, broadly-respected, non-dogmatic scientist, not some blogging mathlete out for clicks. Anne* and I cheered while listening to this. I wanted to kiss* Pinker by the end.
tl;dr: Don’t impose serious, known, concrete suffering (on individuals who have a clear ability to suffer) just so you can supposedly hedge against future entirely speculative suffering in hypothetical entities whose mere sentience (let alone capacity for serious suffering) is wildly uncertain.
History shows we should actually help those suffering (#1 below and here) rather than wring our hands and whine about imaginary doom.
Two comments:
1. Pinker says we should wipe out mosquitoes that carry malaria. To humans, those specific species of mosquitoes are the deadliest creatures in the world - even deadlier than other humans. It still amazes me that so many people squeal at the very mention of eradicating malaria! The pro-malaria crowd are all rich, healthy individuals not in danger of suffering from malaria.
2. Pinker admits to having changed his mind. Imagine that! I have changed my mind, too (a key point of Losing My Religions). For example, I've changed my mind about LLMs. The ethical evidence is actually in their favor. As is the cultural evidence.
*Happy 34th Anniversary to the greatest collection of atoms that ever existed! 🩷
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