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World Optimization is the full use of our agency. It is extending the reach of human civilization. It is building cities and democracies and economic systems and computers and flight and science and space rockets and the internet. World optimization is about adding to that list. But it’s not just about growth, it’s also about preservation. We are still in the dawn of civilization, with most of civilization in the billions of years ahead. We mustn’t let this light go out.

This topic includes, but is not limited to, ethics and metaethics [e.g. 1, 2], ideas for how to improve the world [1, 2, 3], cause prioritization [1], coordination/cooperation [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], advice/models for people and groups trying to do good [1, 2, 3], the psychology of doing good [1].

 

                    World Optimization Sub-Topics

General TopicsCauses / InterventionsOptimizing with Others
Aesthetics
Ethics & Metaethics
Moloch
Moral Mazes
Politics
Signaling
Social Reality
Voting Theory

Animal Welfare
Coronavirus
Prediction Markets

 

 

Circling
Communication Cultures
Game Theory
Groupthink
Information Hazards
Meta-Honesty
Ritual

 

Content which describes how the world is that directly bears upon choices one makes to optimize the world fall under this tag. Examples include discussion of the moral patienthood of different animals, the potential of human civilization, and the most effective interventions against a global health threat.

Some material has both immediate relevance to world optimization decisions but also can inform broader world models. This material might be included under both World Modeling tag and this tag.