This is the core part of my WIP critique of the working paper "The Case for Strong Longtermism" by Greaves and MacAskill.
The moral importance of future generations should not be dismissed, and in their paper The Case for Strong Longtermism, Greaves and MacAskill rightly highlight the neglectedness of long-term goals. Nevertheless, I try to show, the current case for Axiological Strong Longtermism lacks a sufficiently stable and reliable foundation to support the sweeping conclusions the authors draw. Importantly, there may be considerable overlap between near-term and long-term goals, such as strengthening institutions and democratic structures, which deserves greater attention. Striking a more deliberate balance between long-term and near-term aims may provide a... (read 565 more words →)