I love the YouTube channel Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. I frequently reference their animated educational videos in my weblog entries. To support the production of more of their edutainment, I ordered some of their merchandise for my youngest children who are also fans.
I watched their new video Tired of Doomscrolling? in which they conclude with a message of optimism for the future of humanity. It reminded me of their older video in which they describe their philosophy of Optimistic Nihilism in which they remind us, like stoicism, that that nothing really matters since everyone eventually dies. Ending on a positive note, they say that knowing this liberates each individual to choose their own meaning of life.
I think, however, that this philosophy contradicts billions of years of evolutionary history in which life gravitates toward increasing complexity. Furthermore, similar to those who believe in divine providence and the assurance of an eternal hereafter, adoptees of the philosophy could use it as a justification for passivity in the face of long-term challenges to humanity. To clarify that that the optimism in Optihumanism is active rather than passive, I made the following update to my Optihumanist Principles:
Optimism is effort. We support our belief in the future through our endeavors.
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