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480 points riffraff | 4 comments | | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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whatever1 ◴[] No.44461287[source]
That is the sh* that happens when we move the system too far away from its previous equilibrium. It might settle to a drastically different one that will decimate huge proportions of population.
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1. SlowTao ◴[] No.44461653[source]
The example I use is this. Falling of a building is harmless, standing on the ground is harmless. It is the transition that matters.

I'm sure we can survive fairly reasonably in whatever climate we end up with in a few hundred/thousand years, but the gap in between is a really doozy. The stories and myths about the selfish people of our times will go on for millennia.

It is the book series 'Carbon Ideologies' by William T Volleman, the opening few pages are written to those that read them in a few hundred years. Those that read these today are already convinced, those in the future will want answers. All he does is use examples of how we live to point out that we are not inherently evil, just looking out for our more immediate needs.

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2. hnarn ◴[] No.44462342[source]
> The stories and myths about the selfish people of our times will go on for millennia.

Except there is nothing inherently more selfish about ”people” today than at any point in history.

If anything, it might change humanity’s view of itself, and its capability to collectively handle major threats.

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3. TheOtherHobbes ◴[] No.44462992[source]
I'm sure they'll be as forgiving as we are.
4. mdiesel ◴[] No.44463634[source]
There are a couple of key differences that I think could lead to a shift towards selfishness.

With the size of populations, there's less feeling of individual impact. If I don't do "my bit" then it's such a miniscule negative to society as a whole, it won't really matter.

We have a relatively new economic principle that if everyone acts in their own best interests, that will also further society's interests. That means there's no moral choice between what benefits me and what benefits others, I can always pick what benefits me.

These aren't universal, but are two simple reasons why selfishness could be more prevalent now than a lot of history.