---
title: Longtermism
description: A critical examination of longtermism — the tech-wealthy's moral philosophy,
  described as Nick Bostrom's secular Singularity cult, backed by Thiel and Musk.
  Curated reading list from critics like Émile P. Torres.
doc_version: '1.0'
last_updated: 06-May-26
canonical_url: https://garden.johanneskleske.com/longtermism
---

## tl;dr
Longtermism is Nick Bostrom's update for the Singularity – a religious cult for the (tech) wealthy, backed by the likes of Thiel and Musk to provide a moral philosophy for their appalling behavior.

## A Reading List on Longtermism

Émile P. Torres has been the lone fighter on this beat for some time:
- [Why longtermism is the world’s most dangerous secular credo](https://aeon.co/essays/why-longtermism-is-the-worlds-most-dangerous-secular-credo)
- [The Dangerous Ideas of “Longtermism” and “Existential Risk”](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/the-dangerous-ideas-of-longtermism-and-existential-risk)
- [How Elon Musk sees the future: His bizarre sci-fi vision should concern us all](https://www.salon.com/2022/07/17/how-elon-musk-sees-the-future-his-bizarre-sci-fi-vision-should-concern-us-all/)
- [Understanding "longtermism": Why this suddenly influential philosophy is so toxic](https://www.salon.com/2022/08/20/understanding-longtermism-why-this-suddenly-influential-philosophy-is-so/)

Good to see others chiming in:
- [Longtermism is merely a more acceptable mask for transhumanism | Velcro City Tourist Board](https://www.velcro-city.co.uk/longtermism-is-merely-a-more-acceptable-mask-for-transhumanism/) by Paul Graham Raven
- [Against Jackpot-Longtermism](https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/against-jackpot-longtermism) by Dave Karpf (s. also [[The Jackpot]])
- [Timnit Gebru: "How can we let it be known far & wide that there's a religion in Silicon Valley (longtermism/effective altruism & similar) that has convinced itself that the best thing to do for "all of humanity" is to throw as much money as possible to the problem of "AGI"..."](https://twitter.com/timnitGebru/status/1520532465474883584)

## Sitemap

- [Notes Index](https://garden.johanneskleske.com/notes-index)
- [Futures Terminology](https://garden.johanneskleske.com/futures-terminology.md)
- [Sitemap](https://garden.johanneskleske.com/sitemap.md)