1. It’s about optimizing the worst case. Maybe AGI isn’t coming that soon; we don’t know. So it might be worth being prepared for multiple scenarios.
2. AGI might replace average humans, but we would still need the top performers to be human. If this is the case, things still need to change. It might make less sense for most people to pursue careers in, say, software development, unless they are exceptionally talented, motivated, or passionate.
3. We can learn new things just because they are fun. Most people who learn how to play an instrument won’t ever make money from it. In the future, programmers and other mainly white-collar workers might end up in a similar situation. It will be a hobby, not a job.
4. Related to the previous point, learning is also a social activity. It’s about doing something together, meeting new people with similar interests, making new friends, and possibly even finding spouses.
Would you add anything else to this list? Or do you think studying anything is pointless?
surprisetalk•7mo ago
I was raised SDA; this mindset goes back hundreds of years. Leading up to the 1844, "Great Disappointment", people stopped learning, stopped growing, stopped saving, etc.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Disappointment
Even if AGI is inevitable, its timeline and effects on your life are unknown.
You are alive. You are alive. You are alive.
msvana•7mo ago