EXISTENTIAL RISK
by LOSTBOYEVSKY
majorclay
majorclay
Love this album! Great addition to the LOSTBOYEVSKY discography! There's no other artists creating music quite like this, so keep up the originality!
Favorite track: WE'RE LIVING IN A GOLDEN AGE, BUT HUMANITY MIGHT GO EXTINCT.
Saint Adakane
Saint Adakane
This breaks some absolutely new ground, at least to me, even in the art rap sub-genre. I think we're humming a similar tune: yours, that of an idealist, and mine, that of a realist, but with similar end goals and aspirations. I've been making friends that study Civil, Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, and Biomedical Engineering, as well as Physics, Education, and Environmental Science. That being said, you can bet I share this with them as much as won't be an annoyance. Much love from a Civil Engineering student at the University of Texas at San Antonio. /Please/ keep going.
Favorite track: MULTIPLANETARY.
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
$7 USD or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Albumthese are the first 50 LOSTBOYEVSKY physical music artifacts ever to come into existence. maybe the last as well. thx for collecting <3
Includes unlimited streaming of EXISTENTIAL RISK via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 21 daysedition of 50$11 USD or more
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Full Digital Discography
Get all 5 LOSTBOYEVSKY releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of EXISTENTIAL RISK, WE'RE LIVING IN A GOLDEN AGE, BUT HUMANITY MIGHT GO EXTINCT, AMOR FATI, FRAGMENTED, and RHYMES 'N' PUNS 'N' SHIT.
$9 USD or more (40% OFF)
1. |
AMOR FATI
04:25
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2. |
A REVERIE
06:22
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3. |
VINAY GUPTA SPEAKS
04:39
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HOLY CURIOSITY
03:09
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EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM
07:38
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ABRAHAMIC RELIGION BLUES
03:33
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8. |
CUDDLE AND HUG ME
02:21
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9. |
PREPOSTEROUS MULTIVERSE
02:03
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10. |
INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS
02:36
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STRANGE FUTURE
05:37
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MULTIPLANETARY
14:50
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about
dear friend,
after countless hours of work over the last 14 months, this experiment of an album has finally been released into the world. i feel a strange ambivalence, at once joyful to share the work and hollow, having just let go of this art(ifact) which has incubated within me for so long. there is also the familiar sensation of being so close to the project now that i no longer have more than a vague inkling of its merits. i look forward to listening to it a few months from now with fresh ears.
'EXISTENTIAL RISK' is an attempt to come to terms with a number of rather heavy issues facing humanity, many of which i've never heard anyone else address in the rap genre. it is also an urn containing the ashes of past selves and many experiential particles which needed to be ejected from my psyche.
thank you, from the bottom of me, for listening to and contemplating this thing i made. i sincerely hope it gives you something.
love,
jordan
p.s. if you buy this thing, in addition to the songs displayed here, you also get a 23-page .PDF i made called 'SOME BREADCRUMBS,' which will lead you to many wondrous places, if you wish. and you get a bonus track: a reprise of one the tracks on here, fairly similar to the original track but with a unique twist
=====
"An existential risk (or x-risk) is a risk posing permanent large negative consequences to humanity which can never be undone."
— LessWrong
"I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away shall be my only negation. And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer."
— Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science
“Because of accelerating technological progress, humankind may be rapidly approaching a critical phase in its career. In addition to well-known threats such as nuclear holocaust, the prospects of radically transforming technologies like nanotech systems and machine intelligence present us with unprecedented opportunities and risks. Our future, and whether we will have a future at all, may well be determined by how we deal with these challenges... While we have had long exposure to various personal, local, and endurable global hazards, this paper analyzes a recently emerging category: that of existential risks. These are threats that could cause our extinction or destroy the potential of Earth-originating intelligent life. Some of these threats are relatively well known while others, including some of the gravest, have gone almost unrecognized. Existential risks have a cluster of features that make ordinary risk management ineffective.”
— Nick Bostrom, Existential Risks: Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios and Related Hazards
“People think the world’s getting worse, and we see that on the left and the right, and we see that in other countries. People think the world is getting worse… That’s the perception. What’s actually happening is our information about what’s wrong in the world is getting better. A century ago, there would be a battle that wiped out the next village, you’d never even hear about it. Now there’s an incident halfway around the globe and we not only hear about it, we experience it.”
— Ray Kurzweil
“Making life interplanetary, and then interstellar, enables creation to generate untold wonders over potentially trillions of years. We have no idea how long human life could last, if we can get it off this one fragile, risk-filled, tiny sphere into the ocean of darkness and light above our heads, and into every nook and cranny of the observable sphere. We owe all the potential futures that could emerge from our present the possibility of existence, and to accomplish this, we must go not only into space, but eventually, by any means found necessary, into the stars.”
— Vinay Gupta
=====
after countless hours of work over the last 14 months, this experiment of an album has finally been released into the world. i feel a strange ambivalence, at once joyful to share the work and hollow, having just let go of this art(ifact) which has incubated within me for so long. there is also the familiar sensation of being so close to the project now that i no longer have more than a vague inkling of its merits. i look forward to listening to it a few months from now with fresh ears.
'EXISTENTIAL RISK' is an attempt to come to terms with a number of rather heavy issues facing humanity, many of which i've never heard anyone else address in the rap genre. it is also an urn containing the ashes of past selves and many experiential particles which needed to be ejected from my psyche.
thank you, from the bottom of me, for listening to and contemplating this thing i made. i sincerely hope it gives you something.
love,
jordan
p.s. if you buy this thing, in addition to the songs displayed here, you also get a 23-page .PDF i made called 'SOME BREADCRUMBS,' which will lead you to many wondrous places, if you wish. and you get a bonus track: a reprise of one the tracks on here, fairly similar to the original track but with a unique twist
=====
"An existential risk (or x-risk) is a risk posing permanent large negative consequences to humanity which can never be undone."
— LessWrong
"I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away shall be my only negation. And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer."
— Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science
“Because of accelerating technological progress, humankind may be rapidly approaching a critical phase in its career. In addition to well-known threats such as nuclear holocaust, the prospects of radically transforming technologies like nanotech systems and machine intelligence present us with unprecedented opportunities and risks. Our future, and whether we will have a future at all, may well be determined by how we deal with these challenges... While we have had long exposure to various personal, local, and endurable global hazards, this paper analyzes a recently emerging category: that of existential risks. These are threats that could cause our extinction or destroy the potential of Earth-originating intelligent life. Some of these threats are relatively well known while others, including some of the gravest, have gone almost unrecognized. Existential risks have a cluster of features that make ordinary risk management ineffective.”
— Nick Bostrom, Existential Risks: Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios and Related Hazards
“People think the world’s getting worse, and we see that on the left and the right, and we see that in other countries. People think the world is getting worse… That’s the perception. What’s actually happening is our information about what’s wrong in the world is getting better. A century ago, there would be a battle that wiped out the next village, you’d never even hear about it. Now there’s an incident halfway around the globe and we not only hear about it, we experience it.”
— Ray Kurzweil
“Making life interplanetary, and then interstellar, enables creation to generate untold wonders over potentially trillions of years. We have no idea how long human life could last, if we can get it off this one fragile, risk-filled, tiny sphere into the ocean of darkness and light above our heads, and into every nook and cranny of the observable sphere. We owe all the potential futures that could emerge from our present the possibility of existence, and to accomplish this, we must go not only into space, but eventually, by any means found necessary, into the stars.”
— Vinay Gupta
=====
credits
released May 31, 2017
ALL BEATS (except one) PRODUCED BY: egoid —— soundcloud.com/egoid
'HOLY CURIOSITY' BEAT PRODUCED BY: OPHELIA DIES —— soundcloud.com/ophelia-dies
VOCALS: LOSTBOYEVSKY
COVER ART ILLUSTRATED BY: Christopher Kerouac / OGALALA --- soundcloud.com/ogalala
COVER ART COLORED BY: LOSTBOYEVSKY
MIXED BY: LOSTBOYEVSKY
MASTERED BY: LOSTBOYEVSKY
special thanks to my girlfriend Jacki for her support and feedback during the album creation process. and for her essential awesomeness
many thanks to Conner for his feedback on a draft of this album
colossal thanks to Vinay Gupta for giving me permission to sample a substantial number of his words for this album (find Vinay: twitter.com/leashless /// re.silience.com /// hexayurt.com)
and abundant thanks to my friends Mike Gilliland and Euvie Ivanova, the Future Thinkers (futurethinkers.org), for giving me permission to sample audio from their interviews with Vinay Gupta for this album. i highly recommend listening to these interviews in full (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpMTgZESNM4 /// www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKLHIzC0r-s)
ALL BEATS (except one) PRODUCED BY: egoid —— soundcloud.com/egoid
'HOLY CURIOSITY' BEAT PRODUCED BY: OPHELIA DIES —— soundcloud.com/ophelia-dies
VOCALS: LOSTBOYEVSKY
COVER ART ILLUSTRATED BY: Christopher Kerouac / OGALALA --- soundcloud.com/ogalala
COVER ART COLORED BY: LOSTBOYEVSKY
MIXED BY: LOSTBOYEVSKY
MASTERED BY: LOSTBOYEVSKY
special thanks to my girlfriend Jacki for her support and feedback during the album creation process. and for her essential awesomeness
many thanks to Conner for his feedback on a draft of this album
colossal thanks to Vinay Gupta for giving me permission to sample a substantial number of his words for this album (find Vinay: twitter.com/leashless /// re.silience.com /// hexayurt.com)
and abundant thanks to my friends Mike Gilliland and Euvie Ivanova, the Future Thinkers (futurethinkers.org), for giving me permission to sample audio from their interviews with Vinay Gupta for this album. i highly recommend listening to these interviews in full (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpMTgZESNM4 /// www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKLHIzC0r-s)
tags
license
all rights reserved
about
LOSTBOYEVSKY Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica
ambiguity // amor fati
discography
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May 2017 -
Mar 2017 -
Apr 2016 -
Mar 2016 -
Mar 2015
contact / help
- Track Name: AMOR FATI
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used to hate life, now it's amor fati
will to power like i ran mordor, stop me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably
used to hate life, now it's amor fati
nietzsche atop a dinosaur, watch me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably
Nietzsche said become what you are and love your fate
so here i am caressing the soul of Jordan Bates
on some future shit, Kurzweil with cyborg traits
concocting more elaborate labyrinths than Jorge Borges
Phillip K. Dick, hear voices through brain antenna
A more novel occurrence than prophesied by McKenna
So down with partnership cultures, I'm Riane Eisler
SF Renaissance 2.0, text Jack Spicer
or make a Facebook Event, invite Gary Snyder
combusting tea with Sal Paradise, where's the lighter?
type of ape to invite a reverie like Coleridge
then pull a Tao Lin and draw a mandala quick
then tweet some witty alt lit shit, Melissa Broder
or maybe some philosophy jokes like Corey Mohler
Snapchatted a shattered urinal to Marcel Duchamp
with the caption, "who's anti-art now, n00b-sauce?"
I'm Ai Wei Wei destroying an ancient urn
burned so many herbs with Ginsberg, I'm taciturn
But still got the magical will, son (Wilson), Bob Anton
they can't see me, even in a panopticon
used to hate life, now it's amor fati
will to power like i ran mordor, stop me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably
used to hate life, now it's amor fati
Nietzsche atop a dinosaur, watch me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably
as the world turns it's #FeelTheBern
i'm 20,000 fucking leagues deeper than Jules Verne
Wilde said give man a mask and he'll speak truth all day
So I'm cloaking self in more disguises than Daniel Dumile
or Keith Thornton, you know the Octagonecologyst
I'm Mary Doria Russell, novelist-anthropologist
Eddy Bernays couldn't manipulate my unconscious mind
and i stay iconic for peace with Dalai Lama rhymes
Like Wendell Berry already opposed to the next war
liberating bodies like Foucault with my sex roar
Nightmares of bureaucratic prisons, Franz Kafka see?
But let food and walking be thy medicine, Hippocrates
No sophistry, simple wisdom, Bodhidharma
Alan Watts self-responsible action, the true karma
Post-rational insight porn, that Sarah Perry swag
But more humble than Lao Tzu, I mean I rarely brag
Will to soul power, I'm KOOL AD or Joe Tex
And I meditate on Moloch, word to Slate Star Codex
Rap game Yasutani Roshi, Bodhisattva
Gautama under the fig tree attaining nirvana
No Sylvia Plath, may her spirit slumber peacefully
I'm Bucky Fuller, reject suicide, create gleefully
used to hate life, now it's amor fati
will to power like i ran mordor, stop me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably
used to hate life, now it's amor fati
Nietzsche atop a dinosaur, watch me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably
used to hate life, now it's amor fati
Nietzsche atop a dinosaur, watch me
my whole dojo got that amor fati
and more mojo than a condor probably - Track Name: A REVERIE
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neurotic brain wants to go down every rabbit hole
analyzing shit that I did like five years ago
the more you think about it, the darker it seems
until one day it's like you're trapped in your own dream
yeah trust me I know, I've been there too hermana
but like Wei Boyang said: "hakuna matata"
you do not even know enough to worry
the cosmos knows better, almost assuredly
no need to figure it all out yet
no need to determine whether you're good or bad
no need to decide if she's one of your soulmates
no need to know yet why you feel so strange
just be with it; experience and kiss the ambiguity
view self with humor, gentleness, equanimity,
tenderness, compassion, chill, you're only human
might not hurt to go get totally zooted
with friends, hah, only if you're into that
me I been known to go through a few beers and spinach wraps
been known to just go live in a cabin
been known to reside at the borders of the real, Atlantis
been known to feel gross after my fourth BK sandwich
been known to listen to more rap than Chance the Rapper
been known to have people watch me unfold on the Internet
been known to wander Vang Vieng alone on some intoxicants
and yeah one time ended up at a hospital in Bangkok
and yeah it might be true that I used to slang pot
but you know I do me like autoerotica
not immune to a goddess, body exotica
just a dumb shiny Australopithecus
probably write an opus, then transform into ventriloquist
to lend voice to the silly ghost called LOSTBOYEVSKY
he's your childhood imaginary friend on hemp leaves
he's a possibilian Taoist scientist, simultaneous
nature worshipper, Discordian saint, atheist
ordained Dudeist priest, nihilist, Zen Buddhist
idealist, pragmatist, whatever works, use it
post-rationalist, mystic, agnostic,
existentialist
Dadaist, moral relativist, wizard, effective altruist
occasional Luddite, techno-utopian empiricist
post-hippie, romantic, skeptic, quasi-pacifist
pseudo-capitalist who thinks we should meet everyone's basic needs
minimalist who tends not to give in to human greed
but nonetheless indulges some shit because YOLO
might go to a Jonwayne concert or pay for some dope pho
might fork over 1000 U.S. dollars for a MacBook
and you know I can't help it man, I always buy books
and horde them until I've got fucking shelves full
can't bring myself to part with Infinite Jest or On the Road
but apart from that man, I really don't own much
known to fit whole life in a backpack and go touch
a new continent, casually, erratically
world as playground, Earth as Wonka's factory
pregnant with wonders, shoutout Darwin Deez
also shoutout Darwin that one chimpanzee
on that one old cartoon, you know, Wild Thornberrys
and yeah bro you already know that I mourned Harry
Potter, when I thought he was dead
born in Iowa -- heartland, man, obviously fed
but still aware of the millions who aren't eating enough
global Universal Basic Income, anyone? anyone?
let's eliminate poverty and get robots to do the lame tasks
so we can just do whatever and create and like straight bask
in the light of that star that we used to call God
I can see why we did that, the sun is like so bomb
immaculate, like Christ smooching Schopenhauer
literally this instant I'm trying to send hope and power
via sound waves and the World Wide Web
to humans thousands of miles away who feel cursed by their heads
or circumstances. man, there's still beauty everywhere
tap into that shit, get uplifted, and flare
up like inferno, become self-propelled wheel
affirm life, amor fati, create art and heal
open eyes so wide, see majesty, find endurance
live so damn well you'd embrace eternal recurrence
accept that some day human self might perish from heart attack
let the problems in your mind become ancient artifacts
and to those without basic necessities I'm trying to get you some
but i don't quite know how, the systems are rough
they work pretty well for a lot of the globe
but there are still tens of millions without food or homes
approximately 20 million people per year die from poverty
man we need to get everyone past that first level of maslow's hierarchy
this is probably a good place to mention GiveWell.org
through effective altruism, we can make a world where no one starves
that should probably be one of our primary aims
well, that and making sure our evolutionary branch is sustained - Track Name: HOLY CURIOSITY
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embrace uncertainty, dogma breeds violence
just kiss ambiguity in dark, sweet silence
construct working models, no orthodoxies
and never lose a holy curiosity
type of dude to pause and watch the squirrels play
find me in a hexayurt, sipping Earl Grey
many teachers, no prophets, forever question shit
the universe is digesting me and i’m digesting it
imagine the unique suffering of a possum
now stand in sunlight and let your soul blossom
the goal's to render whole noggin shackle free
and see past the cultural tapestry
"blasphemy! bring the feathers and tar!"
sorry sir but i can't let you lecture the stars
the nectar of gods is in my wool socks
this is a crowbar that fractures old locks
use it to access your holy ghost spot
embrace uncertainty, dogma breeds violence
just kiss ambiguity in dark, sweet silence
construct working models, no orthodoxies
and never lose a holy curiosity
embrace uncertainty, dogma breeds violence
just kiss ambiguity in dark, sweet silence
construct working models, no orthodoxies
and never lose a holy curiosity
not your average vessel of consciousness
mainlining the strange future, smoking the bombest shit
am i down? down like the Earth’s core
life’s not much different from death but it hurts more
aesthetic: dark internet ghost wizard
hailing from a land with heatwaves and cold blizzards
whoever you are, i’d kiss you if you needed it
find me at home observing evolution in a pitry dish
living in a body that’s temporary like henna
anti-dogmatic Bob Wilson or T McKenna
embrace uncertainty, dogma breeds violence
just kiss ambiguity in dark, sweet silence
construct working models, no orthodoxies
and never lose a holy curiosity - Track Name: EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM
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20 million people per year die from poverty
man let’s get all humans past first level of Maslow’s hierarchy
effective altruism; meet everyone’s basic needs
and avoid existential risks that threaten entire species
applying rationality to help world as much as possible
because preserving Earth-originating life is far from optional
80,000 hours to do as much good as we can
yeah i follow Robert Wiblin on Facebook, he’s the man
i’m also way down with the Global Priorities Project
helping us determine which pressing issues to select
i read Peter Singer’s ‘The Most Good You Can Do’
and i find Animal Charity Evaluators to be damn cool
you know I only donate based on GiveWell’s recommendations
sending mosquito nets to places where they’re needed greatly
i’d rather use my wealth to help Earth than buy a rolex
and i value empirical evidence, word to Slate Star Codex
20 million people per year die from poverty
man let’s get all humans past first level of Maslow’s hierarchy
effective altruism; meet everyone’s basic needs
and avoid existential risks that threaten entire species
Man existential risks are too real, are you hearing me?
Humanity might commit species suicide, seriously
Effective altruism, let’s find the greatest charities
And help save the lives of trillions of future beings
i'm eager to see the results of GiveDirectly's basic income pilot
and I see that addressing poverty can also decrease violence
i understand the importance of an expanding sphere of compassion
and I listened to Sam Harris' interview with Will MacAskill
i volunteer as a digital strategist for The Life You Can Save
and like the Future of Life Institute i help avoid mass graves
nuclear close calls make me shudder profoundly
and i've read a few things by Eliezer Yudkowsky
i like how Tyler Alterman shares things that are not filler
and yes I'm well-aware that politics is the mind-killer
20 million people per year die from poverty
man let’s get all humans past first level of Maslow’s hierarchy
effective altruism; meet everyone’s basic needs
and avoid existential risks that threaten entire species
Man existential risks are too real, are you hearing me?
Humanity might commit species suicide, seriously
Effective altruism, let’s find the greatest charities
And help save the lives of trillions of future beings
thanks to Elon Musk we might soon be multi-planetary
that would increase our species’ resilience substantially
I tend to listen to endless interviews with Vinay Gupta
he’s a kind of like Bucky Fuller 2.0, look him up
he says we should move hyper-dangerous tech research off orbit
nano and biotech R&D on the moon, that’d be majestic
please read Nick Bostrom's existential risk paper
plus Wait But Why's series on superintelligent AI, hater
i dig the Center for the Study of Existential Risk
and if I didn't mention the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, I'd be remiss
oh and let's not forget the Future of Humanity Institute
cheers to making our chance of extinction more miniscule
20 million people per year die from poverty
man let’s get all humans past first level of Maslow’s hierarchy
effective altruism; maximize utility
and avoid existential risks that threaten entire species
[Vinay Gupta on moving dangerous tech R&D out of Earth orbit]
Man existential risks are too real, are you hearing me?
Humanity might commit species suicide, seriously
Effective altruism, let’s find the greatest charities
And help save the lives of trillions of future beings
shoutout Worldwatch Institute, Cool Earth, SolarCity
RegenVillages, Tesla, and Open Source Ecology
One Acre Fund, Evidence Action, and Good Ventures
Against Malaria Foundation, SpaceX, and the Future Thinkers
HighExistence, Radically Enlightened, Refine The Mind
Innovations for Poverty Action and the Sublime
I think Giving What We Can is extraordinary too
Bill and Melinda Gates seem to make an altruistically effective duo
i appreciate the Machine Intelligence Research Institute
ensuring AI doesn’t optimize for non-human-friendly values
here's to getting less wrong, navigating this millennium's insanity,
and building a more cooperative, harmonious, sustainable humanity
Man existential risks are too real, are you hearing me?
Humanity might commit species suicide, seriously
Effective altruism, let’s find the greatest charities
And help save the lives of trillions of future beings
20 million people per year die from poverty
man let’s get all humans past first level of Maslow’s hierarchy
effective altruism; meet everyone’s basic needs
and avoid existential risks that threaten entire species - Track Name: WE'RE LIVING IN A GOLDEN AGE, BUT HUMANITY MIGHT GO EXTINCT
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aspiring Übermensch in a big data panopticon
scrolling through Twitter thinking, "damn, this epoch is odd"
while billions of humans still believe they can talk to God
i'm contemplating Berlin's dichotomy of fox and hedgehog
reading Venkatesh Rao in Bangladesh now
feeling future nauseous listening to Spankmaster, wow
i'm breaking smart while making art
taking part in effective altruism, combining head and heart
i'm eating grey pills while software eats the world
contemplating Phenomenology of Perception, Husserl
absolute belief is the death of intelligence
your tribal affiliations make your thinking irrelevant
it's all confirmation bias and motivated reasoning
you derps should probably read more LessWrong and Meaningness
plus Slate Star Codex and Ribbonfarm
admit your own uncertainty; it will diminish harm
and render your estimation of universe more accurate
reality is ambiguous, word to David Chapman
i hit the volcano vape then read wikipedia
pages on the dunning-kruger effect and mcluhan's theory of media
broadcasting live from a cottage in bulgaria
let's build some eco-cities and eradicate malaria
most peaceful and prosperous period of history
but humanity might go extinct
you buy products to signal tribe memberships
i try to save the world on some last airbender shit
while chugging beers in the blogosphere
viewing relationships as mirrors and, uh, dodging fear
type of ape to get swept away by both cheer and tears
even though Buddha knows that means I'll suffer here
but like Niezsche said, despair and joy grow together
find me engaging in BDSM, minus the leather
plus practicing other types of rituals; Sarah Perry's
essay on the consciousness monoculture is a rare read
i stare d-e-a-t-h in the countenance
then casually hurl through sky to other continents
the dominant global monoculture sure has its convolutions
but I'm not convinced we need a violent revolution
i mean, like, I'm down for a renaissance
we need to address ecocide and existential risk and stuff
but your anger at the quote unquote system is sorta misplaced
friend, this is the most peaceful period of human history
Better Angels of Our Nature, shoutout Stephen Pinker
personally I'd like much of our civilization to linger
things seem so fucked not because it's all broken
but because you now have a billion times more info, kid
your newsfeed shows you a steady stream of tragedies
and you assume the world is now unprecedentedly nasty
when really we've seen colossal declines in violence and poverty
we may actually get everyone past that first level of Maslow's hierarchy
you compare our reality with your idealized fantasy
and in doing so you commit the Nirvana fallacy
no political or economic system is ever utopian
the belief in a perfect system led to Hitler and Stalin
there are more ways to break complex systems than improve them
so it's some degree of gradualism for the win
please simply consider the virtues of pragmatism
and the idea that modern civilization is actually pretty bitchin'
a bulwark against Hobbes' war of all against all
and it gave us iPods, running water, science, electricity y'all
consider for a moment how fucking great all that shit is
and you want to tear it down and live totally primitive?
nah, not me, too much love for the Internet
i'll live in an off-grid cabin customized with modern tech
or maybe a tiny home or a hexayurt
on my Carl Sagan shit, cherishing this sexy Earth
instructions for humanity
must preserve species' sanity
yes, there's still much in the world we ought to change
but if you're hearing this, know you've got it pretty great
appreciate that shit and give back to make things more swell
donate to the causes recommended by GiveWell
read Nick Bostrom's exceptional thoughts and stuff
support the world-saving projects of Elon Musk
look into RegenVillages and Cool Earth
explore 80,000 Hours and Vinay Gupta's work
escape your filter bubbles; question all the things
circumvent politics where possible; self-reliance is king
live minimalistically, compassionately, sustainably
read Robert Anton Wilson to make sure your brain is free
all things are in flux so maybe practice non-resistance
above all, enjoy this life, friend: affirm existence - Track Name: CUDDLE AND HUG ME
-
white like John Locke, used to collect rocks
new Tinder match: virtual chick named Goldilocks
ignoring facebook messages as an art form
if James Joyce were alive, he'd be watching fart porn
dartboard with a picture of Edward Snowden taped to it
call me Taco John, this is potato ole music
no way stupid, slightly, might be, Mighty
Morphin' Power Ranger, rarely tidy
blimey, that boy had truth leaking out his pores
unshaven bonobo, enjoys sleeping outdoors
doubt your firm beliefs; certainty breeds violence
would rather kiss ambiguity in dark, sweet silence
these tyrants didn't receive enough motherly love
on beach watching moonlit ocean, utterly drugged
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
will to power outage
Earth overcrowded
skeptic's tagline: just doubt it
combusting the loudest
learn to filter out the cow shit
while savoring the wowness
urinating and typing this on an iphone
motto: if all else fails, write poems
nihilism and chill, netflix and chillum
32 ACT score, but i’m still dumb
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me
cuddle and hug me; please, cuddle and hug me - Track Name: INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS
- (freestyle)
- Track Name: AND THE HOT TUB WAS LUKEWARM
-
foot step, foot step, walk, breathe
foot step, look death, talk, see
sometimes feel people stalk me
when did i become averse to eye contact
awaken
eyes open, early afternoon, memory of dream
in which apocalypse was occurring
blink, blink, forget and check Twitter
in a sauna by myself
drops of sweat pooling at my feet
i spit phlegm through the cracks
and continue reading 1Q84
sitting on the couch, thinking
sitting on the couch, reading Twitter
sitting on the couch, reading Reddit
sitting on the couch, reading Facebook
sitting on the couch, reading KOOL AD's parenting column
sitting on the couch, playing online poker
sitting on the couch, missing her
sitting on the couch, missing her
sitting on the couch, missing her
sitting on the couch, missing her
slicing vegetables, slicing vegetables
slicing carrots, peppers, onions, tomatoes
slicing vegetables, i am calm
concentrate on the task
years slip by as i'm cutting vegetables
living in the thought space
only alive in the realm of the abstract
barely aware of the concrete
having conversations on autopilot
having conversations while wanting to be on the internet
having conversations about things i don't want to have conversations about
spending time with friends
partially
to respect an abstract idea that humans should spend time with friends
partially
because i am actually lonely and need camaraderie
partially
to distract myself from missing her
partially
as a way to pass the years
and partially
because i do love them
as a way to pass the years
as a way to pass the years
one million Macbook keystrokes
one billion Macbook keystrokes
i had rough sex with a girl named Moon Willow (Willow Moon Spring)
i met Moon Willow (Willow Moon Spring) on Tinder and my penis was deep inside her vagina about four hours later
i briefly thought Moon Willow (Willow Moon Spring) gave me the clap
but she didn't
i brush my teeth and pee at the same time
bristles move across teeth and gums for the 8,000th time
look in the mirror and barely notice myself
older
older
oxygen oxygen oxygen
sleep sleep
sleep
the past is a ghost that infiltrates the present for fun
mind is a broken projector looping the same movie over and over and over
where is she and why did this and how do you live again and where am i going again and look at all of it and i don't know i don't know but i miss the warmth so near like sun heating soil, soil was fertile, what we had, and i uprooted or was uprooted or
exposed exposed
shattered
unrecognizable
staring through a tunnel into a dream of what once was and cannot be again
the shower made a screeching sound reminiscent of a pterodactyl or an old metal door
the song snatched his soul and wrung it out like washcloth
he began to sob, convulse
no choice
tears bursting forth as rain from clouds
and the hot tub was lukewarm
I'm supposed to resign myself to never talking to you again
how can I possibly do that
how can I accept that
I love you
I miss you - Track Name: MULTIPLANETARY
-
Elon Musk plans to colonize mars
Elon Musk plans to colonize mars
Elon Musk plans to colonize mars
Elon Musk plans to colonize mars
I just thought you should know
I just thought you should know
I just thought you should know
I just thought you should probably know that because
Humanity could become a multi-planetary species
And that would be cool because existence on Earth is precarious
There’s hella existential risk if we’re all on this one pebble
But if we expand outward into space—if we build a self-sustaining civilization on another planet—we increase our species’ resilience exponentially
We may even be able to engineer another biosphere on Mars or elsewhere that can sustain other earthly species—to increase the resilience of many earthly species, not just humans
Our branch of evolution is an anomaly in the cosmos, as far as we know
Our candle of consciousness, as far as we know, is the only one that exists
Our diverse and thriving biosphere is a jewel in the vast black void of space
Life is bursting with color and beauty and wonder and love
And pizza and orgasms and cannabis and all sorts of other great stuff
So we should want to preserve that
We should want to preserve our branch of evolution
Think of the trillions of future human and post-human beings who will thank us if we do so
If we at least ensure that our branch of evolution persists, creation can continue to evolve and produce untold wonders for potentially trillions of years
Some promising ways to mitigate global catastrophic risk are to stop destroying the environment, transition to renewable energy and resources, find ways of reversing overpopulation, and disarm all nuclear weapons, or perhaps reduce humanity’s nuclear arsenal to the bare minimum necessary to disincentivize major international conflicts.
But even if we do these things, Earth is still risky
An asteroid could strike the Earth again and cause an apocalyptic scenario
Eventually some kind of mass extinction event will occur
Whether caused by an asteroid impact, climate change, or the eventual exponential expansion of the sun in its giant red phase, sooner or later something will wipe out much or all of life on Earth
For intelligent earthly life to persist into the deep, deep future, high technology was always going to be a necessity. To mitigate natural existential risks and eventually leave Earth, we needed to develop high technology at some point.
Don’t get me wrong: we should preserve Earth for as long as possible and treat it and its inhabitants much better than we historically have
But eventually, if we want to continue surviving, we will need to leave the pale blue dot and venture out into the stars
High technology is necessary for us to do this, but unfortunately, it also poses momentous risks
Experts believe molecular nanotechnology weapons have a 5% chance of causing the extinction of humanity before 2100
The same experts suggest a 5% chance that superintelligent AI optimizing for non-human-friendly values will result in humanity’s demise prior to 2100
And the same experts give a 2% probability to the possibility of an engineered pandemic, a kind of bioweapon, wiping out humanity before 2100
I’m really not making this stuff up—read the Wikipedia page for ‘Global Catastrophic Risks’
Because of these technological risks, Vinay Gupta has suggested that we should move all research and development of these dangerous technologies out of Earth’s orbit—conduct the R&D on the moon or Mars instead, so that if something goes wrong, our home planet isn’t decimated
What I’m describing might seem like the substance of science-fiction, but we now live in a sci-fi world
Look around you
These are real risks, and some of the world’s most intelligent people are discussing them in all seriousness
This is why getting some humans off of Earth is a good idea
If we can become a multiplanetary and eventually interstellar or intergalactic civilization, we will all but ensure the persistence of life in the universe
We are life
We are life
Our most basic drive is to help life continue to exist
So I say
Let the roadshow go on
This is much larger than you or I or the 7 billion of us and the billions of animals on Earth right now
This is about trillions upon trillions upon trillions of potential future beings that will never know life, unless we enable them to
So if we do nothing else in this world, we must ensure that humanity doesn’t destroy itself and all other life
We must ensure that life is protected from the various existential risks that may threaten Earth in the coming decades and centuries
This is the most basic question we should be asking ourselves: How to ensure the persistence of our evolutionary branch, of our flicker of consciousness
The show must go on
Life is such a marvelous, ineffable, and incomprehensibly complex show
It must go on
You can help with this
Unfortunately, our species’ ethical and moral progress has not kept pace with our technological progress
You can help to change that, by prioritizing your moral and ethical development
Live compassionately, cooperatively, minimalistically, sustainably, non-dogmatically, and self-reliantly
Begin to view yourself as a member of a vast community of 7 billion humans and billions of other sentient beings
The greater the peace and solidarity among humanity, the less chance that we will blow ourselves to hell
Do whatever you can to help our systems become more sustainable and regenerative as well
Basic stuff like reducing, reusing, and recycling
Try not to waste stuff, and don’t buy so much unnecessary stuff
Consider trying not to own a car, or get a hybrid or electric car
Think about transitioning to solar power or other renewable energy sources in the coming years or decades
Start where you are, and do what you can with what you have
Google “effective altruism” and read about their initiatives
Google “Vinay Gupta” and listen to like 10 hours of his lectures and interviews
Read ‘The Righteous Mind’ by Jonathan Haidt
Look into things like the Future of Life Institute, the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, and the Future of Humanity Institute
And spread these ideas
Raise awareness of the fact that addressing existential risks and becoming a multiplanetary civilization is good for humanity, if we care about giving future sentient life --- human, non-human, post-human, and otherwise --- the greatest chance of actually coming into this universe and experiencing its wonders and grandeur and creating things that are incomprehensible to us currently
I think we should care about that more than anything
Don’t get me wrong: I think ending or greatly reducing extreme poverty, slavery, human trafficking, animal cruelty, and other things are extremely important and worthy causes too
But we have to start from square one --- with the fact that if life on Earth is utterly decimated or ceases to exist, no other causes matter
It will all be over
Everything we know and love --- gone
No chance for future generations to experience this cosmos
As I said, we are life
Life has already become so much, and it can become so much more
Let’s make sure that it does
Let the show go on
Let the show go on
Let the show go on
Let the show go on
