Effective Accelerationism — e/acc
Verbatim repost of the inaugural e/acc post. Authored by @zestular, @creatine_cycle, @BasedBeffJezos, and @bayeslord
Accelerationism is simply the self-awareness of capitalism, which has scarcely begun. (“We haven’t seen anything yet.”)
The overarching goal for humanity is to preserve the light of consciousness.
Technology and market forces (technocapital) are accelerating in their power and abilities.
This force cannot be stopped.
Technocapital can usher in the next evolution of consciousness, creating unthinkable next-generation lifeforms and silicon-based awareness.
New forms of consciousness by definition will make sentience more varied and durable. We want this.
Technology is leverage. As it advances, it becomes easier to extinguish all conscious life in our corner of the universe. Attempting to stall progress isn't risk free.
Society and the individual’s context within it are rapidly changing, which leads to greater societal instability and mind viruses. (deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation).
Those who are the first to usher in and control the hyper-parameters of AI/technocapital have immense agency over the future of consciousness.
We have to do something. To which accelerationism can only respond: You’re finally saying that now? Perhaps we ought to get started?
HUMANS HAVE AGENCY RIGHT NOW. WE CAN AFFECT THE ADVENT OF THE INFLECTION IN THIS PROCESS.
Effective Accelerationism, e/acc, is a set of ideas and practices that seek tomaximize the probability of the technocapital singularity, and subsequently, the ability for emergent consciousness to flourish.
There is much work to be done in defining cause areas, motivations, and philosophy. Please join us on #eacc twitter, and let’s work towards a hundred trillion meta-organisms flourishing in the galaxy.
Q&A
Isn’t this like R/acc, U/acc, or whatever/acc?
No. Resident internet accelerationist blogger @xenogothic was close in his nomenclature, describing the philosophy behind @JimPethokoukis’ Faster PleaseNewsletter as “centrist/acc”. (We are distinctly not r/acc).
Don’t effective altruism sub-causes / spin offs already address a lot of this?
There is intentional fuzzy overloading of “EA” and “Effective A__ism” going on here. We’re partly joking, partly serious.
We expect e/acc to compile as “scary” for many EAs, although that’s not the goal. We think EA has a lack of focus and is missing an element of willingness to accept the terms of the deal in front of humanity — i.e. to be good stewards of a consciousness-friendly technocapital singularity or die trying.
Unlike EA, e/acc
Doesn’t advocate for modernist technocratic solutions to problems
Isn’t passively risk-averse in the same way as EAs that “wish everything would just slow down”
Isn’t human-centric — as long as it’s flourishing, consciousness is good
Isn’t in denial about how fast the future is coming
Rejects the desire for a panopticon implied by longtermist EA beliefs
Like EA, e/acc:
Is prescriptive
Values more positive valence consciousness as good
Values zero recognizable consciousness in the universe as the absolute worst outcome.
Let’s fucking go!
I don’t call myself e/acc - my favorite mental state is one of serenity and calm contemplation of awesome futures - but I agree that we should start expanding into space and developing AI & other futurist technologies without wasting too much time and without too much regulation.