I think most humans agree with this statement in an “I emotionally want this” sort of way. The want has been sublimated via religion or other “immortality projects” (see The Denial of Death). The question is, why is it taboo, and it is taboo in the sense you say? (a signal of low status)
I think these elements are at play most in peoples mind, from lay people to rationalists:
It’s too weird to think about: Considering the possibility of a strange AI-powered world where either complete extinction or immortality are possible feels “unreal”. Our instinct that everything that happens in the world is within an order of magnitude of “normal” directly opposes being able to believe in this. As a result, x/s-risk discussions, either due to personal imagination or optics reasons, are limited to natural extrapolations of things that have occurred in history (eg. biological attacks, disinformation, weapons systems, etc.). It’s too bizarre to even reckon that there is a non-zero chance immortality via any conduit is possible. This also plays into the low status factor: weird, outlandish opinions on the future not validated by a high-status figure are almost always met with resistance
The fear of “missing out” leads to people not even wanting to think about it seriously at all: People don’t want give higher credence to hypotheticals that increase the scale of their losses. If we think death is the end for everyone, it doesn’t seem so bad to imagine. If we think that we will be the ones to maybe die and others won’t, or that recent or past loved ones are truly gone forever in a way not unique to humankind, it feels unfair/insulting by the universe.
Taking it seriously would massively change one’s priorities in life and upset the equilibrium of their current value structures: As in: one would do everything they could to minimize the risk of early death. if they believe immortality could be possible in 20 years or less, their need for long term planning is reduced, as immortality would also imply post-scarcity, so their assiduous saving, sacrifices for their children, future are worthless. That cognitive dissonance does not sit well in the mind and hinders one’s individual agentic efficiency.
I think most humans agree with this statement in an “I emotionally want this” sort of way. The want has been sublimated via religion or other “immortality projects” (see The Denial of Death). The question is, why is it taboo, and it is taboo in the sense you say? (a signal of low status)
I think these elements are at play most in peoples mind, from lay people to rationalists:
It’s too weird to think about: Considering the possibility of a strange AI-powered world where either complete extinction or immortality are possible feels “unreal”. Our instinct that everything that happens in the world is within an order of magnitude of “normal” directly opposes being able to believe in this. As a result, x/s-risk discussions, either due to personal imagination or optics reasons, are limited to natural extrapolations of things that have occurred in history (eg. biological attacks, disinformation, weapons systems, etc.). It’s too bizarre to even reckon that there is a non-zero chance immortality via any conduit is possible. This also plays into the low status factor: weird, outlandish opinions on the future not validated by a high-status figure are almost always met with resistance
The fear of “missing out” leads to people not even wanting to think about it seriously at all: People don’t want give higher credence to hypotheticals that increase the scale of their losses. If we think death is the end for everyone, it doesn’t seem so bad to imagine. If we think that we will be the ones to maybe die and others won’t, or that recent or past loved ones are truly gone forever in a way not unique to humankind, it feels unfair/insulting by the universe.
Taking it seriously would massively change one’s priorities in life and upset the equilibrium of their current value structures: As in: one would do everything they could to minimize the risk of early death. if they believe immortality could be possible in 20 years or less, their need for long term planning is reduced, as immortality would also imply post-scarcity, so their assiduous saving, sacrifices for their children, future are worthless. That cognitive dissonance does not sit well in the mind and hinders one’s individual agentic efficiency.