EA reading list: longtermism and existential risks

[richard_ngo]

Start here:

• The long-term future (Jess Whittlestone, 2017)

• Existential risk prevention as global priority (Nick Bostrom, 2012)

• The vulnerable world hypothesis (Nick Bostrom, 2018)

• Are we living at the most influential time in history? (Will MacAskill, 2019)

• The Precipice (Toby Ord, 2020)

Further reading:

• The future of humanity (Nick Bostrom, 2007)

• Astronomical waste (Nick Bostrom, 2003)

• A proposed adjustment to the astronomical waste argument (Nick Beckstead, 2013)

• On the overwhelming importance of shaping the far future (Nick Beckstead, 2013)

• The expected value of extinction risk reduction is positive (Jan Brauner and Friederike Grosse-Holz, 2018)

• The case for strong longtermism (Greaves and MacAskill, 2019)

• Managing existential risk from emerging technologies (Nick Beckstead and Toby Ord, 2014)

• Unprecedented technological risks (2014)

• Probing the improbable: methodological challenges for risks with low probabilities and high stakes (Toby Ord, Rafaela Hillerbrand and Anders Sandberg, 2010)

• The case for reducing extinction risk (Ben Todd, 2017)

• Why might the future be good? (Paul Christiano)

• Existential risk and existential hope (Owen Cotton-Barratt and Toby Ord, 2015)

• The moral value of the far future (Karnofsky, 2014)

• Differential intellectual progress as a positive-sum project (Tomasik, 2013)

• If the future is big (Robin Hanson, 2018)

[Rohin Shah]

What about The Precipice?

[richard_ngo]

Yes, good point. Added.

[MichaelStJules]

Maybe a few on s-risks, which are not only of concern for those with suffering-focused views? These might be good places to start:

https://​​longtermrisk.org/​​risks-of-astronomical-future-suffering/​​

https://​​longtermrisk.org/​​reducing-risks-of-astronomical-suffering-a-neglected-priority/​​

https://​​longtermrisk.org/​​altruists-should-prioritize-artificial-intelligence/​​