Humanities research ideas for longtermists

Abstract

This post presents ten research topics related to longtermism that could be investigated using methodologies from various humanities disciplines. The author argues that a systematic analysis of such topics could uncover novel longtermist interventions, improve existing strategies by identifying previously neglected aspects, and attract individuals with humanities backgrounds to contribute to the field. The proposed research topics include: studying future-oriented beliefs in various groups (e.g., religious communities), examining how incidental practices become central to institutions, exploring the potential of fiction as a tool for moral circle expansion, analyzing how longtermists utilize different forms of media, investigating public perception of AI safety, conducting ethnographic studies of relevant communities (including the EA community itself), applying insights from education, history, and development studies to post-societal-collapse recovery plans, studying different notions of utopia, analyzing social media in the context of longtermism, and utilizing tools from non-historical humanities disciplines to aid history-oriented projects. – AI-generated abstract.