When I said that “I’m not so sure that he necessarily needs to ‘worry’ about the GMF” I was suggesting that even if Einstein had not made any contribution that could better the people of the world, and even if his whole life had been spent not worrying about the GMF because he was just studying theoretical physics– that he still would have achieved the good life. Obviously his failing would be bad, but this brings up the important point: I suggest that everyone does not need to “worry” about the GMF as long as they recognize that it exists and devote their lives to something that can better something more than themselves. If they devote themselves to abstract mathematics that will further knowledge of that subject, that is good just as it is good if one devotes himself to politics which has a more more direct impact on the lives of others

You write that: “The solution is to always and at all times be concerned about those things that slip too easily from view and how it is that this can happen. That is to say, it is never OK not to worry about the Grim Meathook Future.” I interpret this as saying that it is never OK to ignore bad things happening in the world to people who live in “worse conditions” (I use quotations to refer to the fact that there are many things lumped in here, poverty, starvation, and other bad things) and it is the responsibility of those who live in “good conditions” (with Internet, good hospitals, etc.) to help those in bad conditions.

I’ll frame my question in the form of a particular example because I am not quite sure what the larger issue is: I recently read mathematician G.H. Hardy’s “A Mathematician’s Apology, and his main argument is revealed in a telling-quote: “I have never done anything ‘useful’. No discovery of mine has made, or is likely to make, directly or indirectly, for good or ill, the least difference to the amenity of the world.”

Hardy is someone who made a tremendous impact on the development of pure mathematics–and yet as he says, his lifework will likely not have any impact on the world (although I do not know enough history of mathematics to know if he did in fact have a huge impact on some practical application of his thought).

My questions are the following: Does Hardy fall into the category of people who don’t worry about the Grim Meathook Future? What about scientists who do not study practical problems but instead study theoretical ones that will likely not have any applicable uses?

Here is one conclusion that I have tentatively reached, but I’d appreciate your thoughts as I’m always open to be persuaded differently:

It is not OK to forget the Grim Meathood Future. But once one from the “the cute, insulated future that…you and I inhabit” clearly recognizes that the GMF exists– I’m not so sure that he necessarily needs to “worry” about the GMF. Take Einstein; suppose he never wrote the Annus Mirabilis Papers (or anything else of significance)– and instead was a failing theoretical physicist. He would have dedicated his life to a failing cause and would have made absolutely no contributions to help those who will experience the GMF.

Anyway sorry for the long reply…

I dig your manifesto quite a lot. I think you’ve really nailed where I was going with this. I’m going to sit down and think it.