The importance of the distant future: an examination of some of the main objections to long-term future
Abstract
According to longtermism, the long-term effects of our actions are a key aspect of them. This is because the future, due to its duration, will presumably contain most of the beings that will ever exist. However, there are different objections that question the viability of the longtermist proposal, pointing out that we should prioritize the short term. These objections arise from problems related to the representation of individuals who do not yet exist, the situation of future generations or the uncertainty about the long-term. This paper examines these objections and argues that none of them provide a conclusive reason to reject longtermism.
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