Shin-ichiro Inaba

This work is an English translation of the book “Metsubousurukamosirenai Junrui no tameno Rinrigaku[Ethics for Humanity That May Perish: LongTermism, Transhumanism, and Space Exploration]” by author, Shin-ichiro Inaba, himself. The original Japanese version was written for introducing Longtermism, Existential Risk Theory and related topics to Japanese general readrers. Chapters One and Two trace the origins of longtermism as a theoretical framework and philosophy. Chapter 3 briefly summarizes the theoretical core of what longtermism is and introduces accelerationism and effective accelerationism as adjacent movements that also concern humanity in the super-future. Chapter 4 points out that animal ethics can become a stumbling block for longtermism—giving rise to a peculiar puzzle. Chapters Five and Six examine the difficult problems in intergenerational ethics raised by Parfit, keeping the context of longtermism in mind. Chapter Five focuses on the "repugnant conclusion," while Chapter Six centers on the "non-identity problem." Chapter 7 points out that the "Singleton", according to Bostrom, deemed essential for humanity to survive and develop long-term by overcoming "existential risks," could itself be a source of such risks. Chapter 8 introduces the "Fermi Paradox" – the puzzle of why, despite the vast number of celestial bodies in the universe, extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) remains undiscovered – and demonstrates its deep structural and substantive connection to the theory of existential risks. Chapters 9 and 10 discuss the possibility and desirability of humanity's space exploration. In closing this book, we will briefly touch upon the "eschatological" aspects of these arguments.

This book is a collection of all the papers published in the special issue “Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Philosophy,” Journal of Philosophy of Life, Vol.13, No.1, 2023, pp.1-146. The authors discuss a variety of topics such as science fiction and space ethics, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, the ethics of autonomous agents, and virtuous robots. Through their discussions, readers are able to think deeply about the essence of modern technology and the future of humanity. All papers were invited and completed in spring 2020, though because of the Covid-19 pandemic and other problems, the publication was delayed until this year. I apologize to the authors and potential readers for the delay. I hope that readers will enjoy these arguments on digital technology and its relationship with philosophy. *** Contents*** Introduction : Descartes and Artificial Intelligence; Masahiro Morioka*** Isaac Asimov and the Current State of Space Science Fiction : In the Light of Space Ethics; Shin-ichiro Inaba*** Artificial Intelligence and Contemporary Philosophy : Heidegger, Jonas, and Slime Mold; Masahiro Morioka*** Implications of Automating Science : The Possibility of Artificial Creativity and the Future of Science; Makoto Kureha*** Why Autonomous Agents Should Not Be Built for War; István Zoltán Zárdai*** Wheat and Pepper : Interactions Between Technology and Humans; Minao Kukita*** Clockwork Courage : A Defense of Virtuous Robots; Shimpei Okamoto*** Reconstructing Agency from Choice; Yuko Murakami*** Gushing Prose : Will Machines Ever be Able to Translate as Badly as Humans?; Rossa Ó Muireartaigh***