What is impertiv.es?
Imperativ.es is a confederation (i.e. a united coallition) of special interest research groups who have grown tired of navigating political red tape and having people sign petitions when all we want is to make the world a better place for all humanity. While our individual constituents may only be invested in some subset of the imperatives we champion, we find strength in our collective numbers, in our ability to mobilize, help each other where possible, share resources, and enact lasting change. We operate primarily through Slack, with each imperative having its own channel, and occassionally we structure in-person meetings and decentralized online calls to share ideas, connections, and figure out next steps.
Which Imperatives?
- Global Catastrophe & Existential Risk - The continued survival of the human race and the planet we live on. (notes)
- Risk Cataloging & Evaluation - Which planetary or existential catastrophic risks are the most likely or severe?
- Foodshock - Preventing famine: How do we feed everyone in the event of a global catastrophe that suddenly reduces food supply?
- Archiving Cultural Heritage - Making sure humanities great works survive, even if we don't.
How are imperatives choosen?
Imperatives was started by a group of people who shared the fundamental belief that, we can't do anything lasting if the human race becomes extinct or our planet is destroyed. This seemed natural as the first imperative on which to focus. In addition to being consequences being catastrophic, the imperative also has the quality that very few people oppose it, As we gain momentum the community will decide how new imperatives should be added
Example Scenario
Mek has a life goal of mapping educational knowledge so that anyone in the world can be empowered to teach themselves and secure a standard quality of life. But Mek realized he can't do this is the world comes to an end. Mek wants to know if global catastrophe is a serious concern which should also merit his attention, and if it is, Mek wants to know which proximal risk(s) are the most likely and most damaging. He then wants to know how he personally can make direct, lasting impact without having to fight opposing interests, like battling bureaucratic red tape and political campaigning. He also wants to find a community of people who have expertise in this area who can mentor him and bring opportunities to the table.
Philosophy
Work on imperatives often get stopped in their tracks because they focus on proximal causes which are often steeped in opposition. Our strategy is to ask the 5-whys until we arrive at the axiomatic root of the imperative; one which is uncontentiously recognized as a problem by all. From this axiomatic grounding, momentum can be gained and paths of least resistance can be followed to enact impacts and changes which have near unanymous support.
What we are not. What we are.
- We're not a movement, we're a way of life.
- We are not campaigners who change minds. We are a process for surfacing and proliferating unbiased and accurate assessments of risk.
- We are not limited by "left", "right" or any sort of political ideological alignment. We are a framework to unite and strengthen altruistic efforts.
- We do not divide people, instead we unite on common ground
- We do not employ in ad hominem attacks but practical solutions informed by empirical results.
- We do not participate in Cargo Cult Science. We offer our best approximation of problems and invite challenges to increase our precision.
- We are not for profit. We are a not-for-profit working group.
- We do not measure our success in dollars, but in risk reduction and people enabled.
- We are not radical. We are resolved to look-out for humanities well being.
- We are not practitioners of hate, discrimination, or violence. We are practitioners of healthy skepticism, tolerance, and responsible methods.
- We are not Effective Altruism seeking to do the right good. We are advocators of doing the right good.
Notes
proximal causes (or proximal risks) are causes or risks which are intimately related to and possibly responsible for a deeper outcome. Global warming, for instance, might be considered as a proximal cause to global catastrophe.