I’ve written before about negative visualization as an important psychological technique for pursuing a happier life – a technique described and practiced already by the ancient Roman Stoics. The point I tried to make is that negative visualization can be a powerful tool for experiencing gratitude even in situations where it otherwise might be difficult.
Today I listened to the latest episode (#208) of the Making Sense Podcast, where Sam Harris speaks with Oxford University philosopher Toby Ord about existential risks and preserving the long term future of humanity. All I can say is: phew, that episode was a tough two hour exercise in negative visualization. But a useful one, which I recommend to everyone.
I’ve said it before, but Sam Harris continues to deliver some of the best podcast content out there. He is by far my favourite public thinker and the way he’s able to conjure and bring us interesting and thought-provoking discussions about relevant topics never ceases to amaze me.
Toby Ord has just released a new book titled The Precipice – Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity, which I haven’t yet read, but I bought it today on Audible. Essentially the book is about the future of humankind and Ord argues that if all goes well, our history is just beginning and the human species could survive for billions of years. But of course, this future could easily and abruptly be eradicated due to natural disasters or anthropogenic (human caused) disasters.
Based on the podcast discussion, Ord seems to believe that the chances of humanity ceasing to exist because of natural disasters is very small. At least compared to potential disasters caused by ourselves. With nuclear weapons we entered a new era and since then, the dangers have only multiplied. We’re talking about climate change, engineered pathogens, artificial intelligence, and so on. You get the picture.
The funny part is that after a two hour discussion of doom and gloom the podcast episode actually ends on a positive note, in a way confirming the paradoxical idea that negative visualization can indeed result in feelings of gratitude and even joy.
Ord emphasizes that thinking about these serious matters doesn’t mean you’ll have to become hopelessly depressed. On the contrary, one can become excited about how good things could be and how we could continue the trend of making life better on our planet and ultimately build a vastly better world that could last for thousands of generations.
It’s a beautiful thought, but as Ord remarks himself, getting there requires that we deal with these existential risks and irrevocable losses right now. Should we succeed in that, future generations will surely give a name for this monumentally important period in history.
That thought gives a lot of meaning to the time we’re now living in. We are, simply put, holding the keys to the future of humanity and we have a moral obligation to do our best. If we can’t get our act together quickly and thereby reach a higher level of existential safety, it’ll soon be too late.