causal

Post-Instrumental Condition Makes Effort Odious

Because most leisure activities (shopping, exercise, learning) have a 'do X for the sake of Y' structure, and at technological maturity machines or pills can deliver Y directly and better, the appeal of doing them yourself collapses, producing a post-instrumental condition in which all instrumental effort becomes odious.

causalpending

Speaker

Nicholas Bostrom

Evidence Quote

at technological maturity, you could pop a pill that would induce the same physiological effects and also the same psychological effect after a good workout... we have points on struggling in the gym for an hour if you could just have popped a pill and had this actually the same effect

Source

Purpose, Pleasure, and Meaning in a World Without Work (with Nicholas Bostrom)EconTalk
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:04:44 AM

My Notes

Loading notes...