Extropia's Children Redux

Abstract

Rationalism, cryptocurrencies, effective altruism, and modern AI philosophy trace their origins to an obscure 1990s mailing list. This lineage, explored in a seven-part series titled ‘Extropia’s Children,’ reveals how early ideals evolved, leading to the creation of Bitcoin, the rise of effective altruism, and the current AI risk debate. The development also involved controversial outcomes, including cult-like communities, significant influence of key figures, and the emergence of neoreactionary thought. Subsequent updates track ongoing impacts, such as the FTX collapse on effective altruism and new information on key individuals. This material is presented as a consolidated resource with links to each original chapter and its corresponding update. – AI-generated abstract.