Episodes 5 and 6 of Netflixās 3 Body Problem seem to have longtermist and utilitarian themes (content warning: spoiler alert)
In episode 5 (āJudgment Dayā), Thomas Wade leads a secret mission to retrieve a hard drive on a ship in order to learn more about the San-Ti who are going to arrive on Earth in 400 years. The plan involves using an array of nanofibers to tear the ship to shreds as it passes through the Panama Canal, killing everyone on board. Dr. Auggie Salazar (who invented the nanofibers) is uncomfortable with this plan, but Wade justifies it in that saving the whole world from the San-Ti will outweigh the deaths of the few hundred on board.
In episode 6 (āThe Stars Our Destinationā), Jin Cheng asks Auggie for help building a space sail out of her nanofibers, but Auggie refuses, saying that we should focus on the problems affecting humanity now rather than the San-Ti who are coming in 400 years. This mirrors the argument that concerns about existential risks from advanced AI systems yet to be developed distract from present-day concerns such as climate change and issues with existing AI systems.
Episodes 5 and 6 of Netflixās 3 Body Problem seem to have longtermist and utilitarian themes (content warning: spoiler alert)
In episode 5 (āJudgment Dayā), Thomas Wade leads a secret mission to retrieve a hard drive on a ship in order to learn more about the San-Ti who are going to arrive on Earth in 400 years. The plan involves using an array of nanofibers to tear the ship to shreds as it passes through the Panama Canal, killing everyone on board. Dr. Auggie Salazar (who invented the nanofibers) is uncomfortable with this plan, but Wade justifies it in that saving the whole world from the San-Ti will outweigh the deaths of the few hundred on board.
In episode 6 (āThe Stars Our Destinationā), Jin Cheng asks Auggie for help building a space sail out of her nanofibers, but Auggie refuses, saying that we should focus on the problems affecting humanity now rather than the San-Ti who are coming in 400 years. This mirrors the argument that concerns about existential risks from advanced AI systems yet to be developed distract from present-day concerns such as climate change and issues with existing AI systems.
I loved Liuās trilogy because it makes longtermism seem commonsensical.