“In favour of exploring nagging doubts about x-risk” by Owen Cotton-Barratt

I was chatting recently to someone who had difficulty knowing how to orient to x-risk work (despite being a respected professional working in that field). They expressed that they didn't find it motivating at a gut level in the same way they did with poverty or animal stuff; and relatedly that they felt some disconnect between the arguments that they intellectually believed, and what they felt to be important. I think that existential security (or something like it) should be one of the top priorities of our time. But I usually feel good about people in this situation paying attention to their gut scepticism or nagging doubts about x-risk (or about parts of particular narratives about x-risk, or whatever). I’d encourage them to spend time trying to name their fears, and see what they think then. And I’d encourage them to talk about these things with other people, or [...] --- First published: June 25th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/JY5cpsFw7k5eAxjSA/in-favour-of-exploring-nagging-doubts-about-x-risk --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.