Longtermism as an evangelical cult...

(Yogi)

The Guardian (Long Read) ran an excellent autobiographical story today, describing the all too short path from evangelical fundamentalism to the pseudo-philosophy of longtermism. You can read it here. Longtermism is a radical escape from reality, this time not based on any supernatural deities, but on superhuman machines we ourselves create.

The argument in this article is almost the same as Yogi's recent essay on techno-transcendentalism as a cult, only that this time the comparison is with medieval (catholic) christianity and its feudalist politics.

The bottom line is: longtermism is an unhealthy and cultish outgrowth of a radical view of the universe as a machine. It is not only delusional, but also highly dangerous, since it is by now shared by some of the most powerful humans on this planet. We must not let them determine our future.