Improvements upon math education, ultrasound technology, and construction technology all sound like very reasonable, practical goals. Perhaps the most radical goal is gene therapy, but also the most exciting and sci-fi.
The future our grandchildren deserve
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Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#12Provide education, jobs and contraceptives to those with high reproduction rates —pop growth will slow thus putting less pressure on the environment (see China vs India). Less encroachment on nature, less sequestered carbon released. Help to modernize poor countries' energy grids and electrify the hinterlands. Get people in rich countries to give up cheap disposable stuff and give up energy consuming entertainment (i…
You may be onto something. It is fine to pay lip service to this ideal in an abstract, but as Covid pandemic has shown, politicians will drop the facade of masks at the drop of a hat if they are personally inconvenienced ( CA comes to mind, but it is not an isolated incident ).
At the end of the day, I want the rules to be applied equally, but they are not ( and likely never will be ).
Come to think of it, and it is going to sound truly awful, why do we devote so much energy to other countries instead of focusing on what is happening in US? Wouldn't it be a time better spent to make US ( the land I and Gates live in ) a better place?
I am not sure you appreciate how much US economy relies on this.
No argument from me.
Eh. I think the question that comes to mind is why. I am not trying to be combative, but why do you think it is reasonable to impose your vision upon others.
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#13Quoted post unavailable.
Eh.
I am going to bite. Why should we do that?
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#14Provide education, jobs and contraceptives to those with high reproduction rates —pop growth will slow thus putting less pressure on the environment (see China vs India). Less encroachment on nature, less sequestered carbon released. Help to modernize poor countries' energy grids and electrify the hinterlands. Get people in rich countries to give up cheap disposable stuff and give up energy consuming entertainment (i…
You may be onto something. It is fine to pay lip service to this ideal in an abstract, but as Covid pandemic has shown, politicians will drop the facade of masks at the drop of a hat if they are personally inconvenienced ( CA comes to mind, but it is not an isolated incident ). At the end of the day, I want the rules to be applied equally, but they are not ( and likely never will be ). Come to think of it, and it is…
Endless growth is not attainable on this Earth. Japan hit the inflection point some decades ago. They are doing alright. They still innovate. In some respects it's stagnant, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It does mean that offspring will not perpetually think "they will (potentially) earn more than their parents" and that's okay.
We need to accelerate this in places that are still growing, slow them down but also modernize them.
Asceticism may not be necessary, but it is a target. Like many targets it's one one may miss, but in going for it it reduces footprint.
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#15Bill Gates does not care about the future of your grandchildren, he only cares about his public image.
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#16Am I the only one growing suspicious of this since the SBF/FTX effective altruism turned out to be a front to masquerade a good old Ponzi?
I don't think the Gates foundation is a Ponzi, but I am not entirely convinced that all of this is really what is advertised.
Are there any reliable (external and independent) audits for charities?
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#17Provide education, jobs and contraceptives to those with high reproduction rates —pop growth will slow thus putting less pressure on the environment (see China vs India). Less encroachment on nature, less sequestered carbon released. Help to modernize poor countries' energy grids and electrify the hinterlands. Get people in rich countries to give up cheap disposable stuff and give up energy consuming entertainment (i…
The first paragraph is all you need. Instances of consumerism that are a problem can be dampened through tax or other means, but it's a moot point because environmental encroachment scales with demand. If demand is stagnant (because the population is, and has already been lifted out of poverty enough to demand things), then there's no question of sustainability for basically anything, except certain finite resources. No one's going to care about the impact of travel if there 3-4 billion people instead of 8 billion.
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#18Am I the only one growing suspicious of this since the SBF/FTX effective altruism turned out to be a front to masquerade a good old Ponzi? I don't think the Gates foundation is a Ponzi, but I am not entirely convinced that all of this is really what is advertised. Are there any reliable (external and independent) audits for charities?
The IRS. Which, as I'm sure you're aware, is doing a great job of it.
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
You may be onto something. It is fine to pay lip service to this ideal in an abstract, but as Covid pandemic has shown, politicians will drop the facade of masks at the drop of a hat if they are personally inconvenienced ( CA comes to mind, but it is not an isolated incident ). At the end of the day, I want the rules to be applied equally, but they are not ( and likely never will be ). Come to think of it, and it is…
Endless growth is not attainable on this Earth. Japan hit the inflection point some decades ago. They are doing alright. They still innovate. In some respects it's stagnant, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It does mean that offspring will not perpetually think "they will (potentially) earn more than their parents" and that's okay. We need to accelerate this in places that are still growing, slow them down but…
When I google asceticism I see a picture of a monk with rib bones sticking out, not too dissimilar from a mummy.
Re: The future our grandchildren deserve
#20Am I the only one growing suspicious of this since the SBF/FTX effective altruism turned out to be a front to masquerade a good old Ponzi? I don't think the Gates foundation is a Ponzi, but I am not entirely convinced that all of this is really what is advertised. Are there any reliable (external and independent) audits for charities?
The closest I can think of is GiveWell [1], but it is part of the broader effective altruism movement, so perhaps it won't meet your bar.