I have a hard time seeing longtermism being at risk for embracing eugenics or racism. But it might be interesting to look at the general principles for why people in the past advocated eugenics or racism—perhaps, insufficient respect or individual autonomy—and try to learn from those more general lessons. Is that what you’re arguing for in your post?
Yes. The ways that various movements have gone wrong certainly differs, and despite the criticism related to race, which I do think is worth addressing, I’m not primarily worried that longtermists will end up repeating specific failure modes—different movements fail differently.
I have a hard time seeing longtermism being at risk for embracing eugenics or racism. But it might be interesting to look at the general principles for why people in the past advocated eugenics or racism—perhaps, insufficient respect or individual autonomy—and try to learn from those more general lessons. Is that what you’re arguing for in your post?
Yes. The ways that various movements have gone wrong certainly differs, and despite the criticism related to race, which I do think is worth addressing, I’m not primarily worried that longtermists will end up repeating specific failure modes—different movements fail differently.