If I were you I would remove that part altogether. As Kyle has already said his analysis might imply that human extinction is highly undesirable.
For example, if animal welfare is significantly net negative now then human extinction removes our ability to help these animals, and they may just suffer for the rest of time (assuming whatever killed us off didn’t also kill off all other sentient life).
Just because total welfare may be net negative now and may have been decreasing over time doesn’t mean that this will always be the case. Maybe we can do something about it and have a flourishing future.
As Kyle has already said his analysis might imply that human extinction is highly undesirable. For example, if animal welfare is significantly net negative now then human extinction removes our ability to help these animals, and they may just suffer for the rest of time (assuming whatever killed us off didn’t also kill off all other sentient life).
But his analysis doesn’t say that? He considers two quantities in determining net welfare: human experience, and the experience of animals humans raise for food. Human extinction would bring both of these to zero.
I think maybe you’re thinking his analysis includes wild animal suffering?
Fair point, but I would still disagree his analysis implies that human extinction would be good. He discusses digital sentience and how, on our current trajectory, we may develop digital sentience with negative welfare. An implication isn’t necessarily that we should go extinct, but perhaps instead that we should try to alter this trajectory so that we instead create digital sentience that flourishes.
So it’s far too simple to say that his analysis “concludes that human extinction would be a very good thing”. It is also inaccurate because, quite literally, he doesn’t conclude that.
So I agree with your choice to remove that wording.
If I were you I would remove that part altogether. As Kyle has already said his analysis might imply that human extinction is highly undesirable.
For example, if animal welfare is significantly net negative now then human extinction removes our ability to help these animals, and they may just suffer for the rest of time (assuming whatever killed us off didn’t also kill off all other sentient life).
Just because total welfare may be net negative now and may have been decreasing over time doesn’t mean that this will always be the case. Maybe we can do something about it and have a flourishing future.
Yeah, this seems like it’s raising the stakes too much and distracting from the main argument; removed.
But his analysis doesn’t say that? He considers two quantities in determining net welfare: human experience, and the experience of animals humans raise for food. Human extinction would bring both of these to zero.
I think maybe you’re thinking his analysis includes wild animal suffering?
Fair point, but I would still disagree his analysis implies that human extinction would be good. He discusses digital sentience and how, on our current trajectory, we may develop digital sentience with negative welfare. An implication isn’t necessarily that we should go extinct, but perhaps instead that we should try to alter this trajectory so that we instead create digital sentience that flourishes.
So it’s far too simple to say that his analysis “concludes that human extinction would be a very good thing”. It is also inaccurate because, quite literally, he doesn’t conclude that.
So I agree with your choice to remove that wording.