Philosophy of the Future

This graduate seminar examines philosophical issues raised by future technology. The prospect of significant human enhancement prompts questions about human nature, personal identity, well-being, and the desirability of vastly extended lifespans. Looking further ahead, we ask how much we should care about distant outcomes and which visions of humanity’s future are worth working toward.

How should we weigh equality against autonomy, average well-being against total well-being, and conserving existing forms of life against creating new ones? How should the value of individual subjects—human, posthuman, or animal—relate to the value of species and ecosystems? These questions bear on population ethics and the importance of reducing existential risk.

The possibility of artificial general intelligence also raises questions in ethics and the philosophy of mind, alongside the practical problem of aligning artificial agents with our values.