I do think the phrase is a bit childish and lacks some rigor
I think the phrase is imprecise, relative to phrases like “prevent human extinction” or “maximize the probability that the reachable universe ends up colonized by happy flourishing civilizations”. But most of those phrases are long-winded, and it often doesn’t matter in conversation exactly which version of “saving the world” you have in mind.
(Though it does matter, if you’re working on existential risk, that people know you’re being relatively literal and serious. A lot of people talk about “saving the planet” when the outcome they’re worried about is, e.g., a 10% loss in current biodiversity, rather than the destruction of all future value in the observable universe.)
If a phrase is useful and tracks reality well, then if it sounds “childish” that’s more a credit to children than a discredit to the phrase.
And I don’t know what “lacks some rigor” means here, unless it’s referring to the imprecision.
Mostly, I like “saves the world” because it owns my weird beliefs about the situation I think we’re in, and states it bluntly so others can easily understand my view and push back against it if they disagree.
Being in a situation where you think your professional network’s actions have a high chance of literally killing every human on the planet in the next 20 years, or of preventing this from happening, is a very unusual and fucked up situation to be in. I could use language that downplays how horrifying and absurd this all is, but that would be deceiving you about what I actually think. I’d rather be open about the belief, so it can actually be talked about.
I think the phrase is imprecise, relative to phrases like “prevent human extinction” or “maximize the probability that the reachable universe ends up colonized by happy flourishing civilizations”. But most of those phrases are long-winded, and it often doesn’t matter in conversation exactly which version of “saving the world” you have in mind.
(Though it does matter, if you’re working on existential risk, that people know you’re being relatively literal and serious. A lot of people talk about “saving the planet” when the outcome they’re worried about is, e.g., a 10% loss in current biodiversity, rather than the destruction of all future value in the observable universe.)
If a phrase is useful and tracks reality well, then if it sounds “childish” that’s more a credit to children than a discredit to the phrase.
And I don’t know what “lacks some rigor” means here, unless it’s referring to the imprecision.
Mostly, I like “saves the world” because it owns my weird beliefs about the situation I think we’re in, and states it bluntly so others can easily understand my view and push back against it if they disagree.
Being in a situation where you think your professional network’s actions have a high chance of literally killing every human on the planet in the next 20 years, or of preventing this from happening, is a very unusual and fucked up situation to be in. I could use language that downplays how horrifying and absurd this all is, but that would be deceiving you about what I actually think. I’d rather be open about the belief, so it can actually be talked about.