Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I really enjoyed this. I first heard this from CGPGray and decided to read the original. There are a few changes but nothing significant.
I am firmly anti-death, but society has slipped so far backwards since I first heard this that I fear we'll never get there.
I am firmly anti-death, but society has slipped so far backwards since I first heard this that I fear we'll never get there.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's short.
It's worth it.
It gets its message across and it doesn't mess around.
It's worth it.
It gets its message across and it doesn't mess around.
This fable is held up as the reason for writing altruistically minded fiction: Vitalik Buterin, a billionaire, has it linked on his Twitter bio! Like Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, and The Sequences, it is inspiring how much The Fable is bothered with making the world a better place. The sequence about the man who says that death gives life meaning is one of the most emotionally forceful arguments I've read in fiction, or really anywhere. (The chapter on free will and the criminal justice system in Behave by Robert Sapolsky was another deeply impactful section for me in this regard.)
That said, I don't know how tractable anti-aging research is. There are good reasons to think it's not as tractable as slaying the dragon is in the fable: unlike reducing existential risk or slowing down climate change, averting aging isn't a public service, you can profit off of it. It seems unlikely to me that people who work on curing, say, cancer, haven't thought of tackling the problem of aging. While it is possible to argue that working on the moonshot problem of averting aging is worth it because the social value of this research could far outstrip the profits to the inventor of a cure (hence why not many people are working on it), curing aging is *highly* profitable -- you'd expect lots of people to be working on it even if it is only remotely tractable.
Nevertheless, this story is a nice reminder to care viscerally about improving the world.
Relatedly, I'm in awe of Nick Bostrom's memetic resume: anthropic bias, the vulnerable world hypothesis, the reversal test, astronomical waste, the unilateralist's curse. How does he come up with so many good ideas?
That said, I don't know how tractable anti-aging research is. There are good reasons to think it's not as tractable as slaying the dragon is in the fable: unlike reducing existential risk or slowing down climate change, averting aging isn't a public service, you can profit off of it. It seems unlikely to me that people who work on curing, say, cancer, haven't thought of tackling the problem of aging. While it is possible to argue that working on the moonshot problem of averting aging is worth it because the social value of this research could far outstrip the profits to the inventor of a cure (hence why not many people are working on it), curing aging is *highly* profitable -- you'd expect lots of people to be working on it even if it is only remotely tractable.
Nevertheless, this story is a nice reminder to care viscerally about improving the world.
Relatedly, I'm in awe of Nick Bostrom's memetic resume: anthropic bias, the vulnerable world hypothesis, the reversal test, astronomical waste, the unilateralist's curse. How does he come up with so many good ideas?
A short to the point story about complacency, moral / ethics, philosophy, and effective altruisim / longtermism.
It's a really great introduction to longtermism. I enjoyed the story.
It's a really great introduction to longtermism. I enjoyed the story.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fantastic work! This is a philosophical work about death and uses the metaphor of a dragon to discuss it all. I watched/listened to a youtube version of it and it was fantastic. Definitely recommend!
I'm not sure if I agree with its philosophy, but I find its point of view remarkably original and audacious. Though the writing could have been a little bit better, the actual idea behind the fable is more than passable and works well enough for the author's intentions.
Something was learned today!
Something was learned today!