A big part of the reason why I’m ambitious is because I try really hard to not fall victim to scope insensitivity. And regarding ambition, there’s some really really big magnitudes at play. Ex.
Even a small increase in the chance that I don’t die and get to live another bajillion years has a huge expected value(EV).
Same with altruism—even a small chance that I help billions of people has a huge EV.
Regarding my happiness, I think I may be lying to myself though. I think I rationalize that the same logic applies, that if I achieve some huge ambition there’d be a proportional increase in happiness. Because my brain likes to think achieving ambition → goodness and I care about how much goodness gets achieved. But if I’m to be honest, that probably isn’t true.
Another reason why I’m ambitious is more practical—I want to retire early, really ASAP. Starting a startup, making a lot of money and being able to retire would be great.
A big part of the reason why I’m ambitious is because I try really hard to not fall victim to scope insensitivity. And regarding ambition, there’s some really really big magnitudes at play. Ex.
Even a small increase in the chance that I don’t die and get to live another bajillion years has a huge expected value(EV).
Same with altruism—even a small chance that I help billions of people has a huge EV.
Regarding my happiness, I think I may be lying to myself though. I think I rationalize that the same logic applies, that if I achieve some huge ambition there’d be a proportional increase in happiness. Because my brain likes to think achieving ambition → goodness and I care about how much goodness gets achieved. But if I’m to be honest, that probably isn’t true.
Another reason why I’m ambitious is more practical—I want to retire early, really ASAP. Starting a startup, making a lot of money and being able to retire would be great.