Value of Querying 100+ People About Humanity's Future

post by Fer32dwt34r3dfsz (rodeo_flagellum) · 2022-11-08T00:41:09.979Z · LW · GW · 3 comments

This is a question post.

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I am looking for advice on whether I should do what I've outlined below (is it valuable or generally a waste of time) and, if so, how I should go about doing it. If there is support for something like this, I may apply for funding and do this sometime during Q4 2023. 

• Go to a frequented environment in NYC (e.g., Time Square; I use NYC because I live close to this city and presumably would be the one doing the actions I'm describing)
• Bring a notepad / clipboard and don an official or professional appearance (e.g., a suit)
• Bring a sign with some message akin to:
  • "Quick, Paid Survey About Humanity"
  • "$10 for 10 Minutes, Survey"
  • "Questions About Our Future"
• Bring a camera w/ tripod and other necessary recording equipment, maybe a mic
• Being recording short interviews (~3-10 minutes). 
• For person 1 to ~100:
  • Ask if they'd be willing to answer some questions about humanity (3-10 minutes) for $10 and be recorded on video
  • Record person speaking, and then ask some or all of the following questions or those similar to the following:
    • If you had 10 billion USD to help the world, how would you spend it?
    • What are the most important problems for humanity to address right now?
    • What might be the important problems for humanity to address in 2050?
    • What are the most important issues for the USA right now? 
    • If you had to send a short message to humanity in 2100, what would it be? 
    • Rank these in terms of how risky them seem (have these on the clipboard):
      • [nuclear war], [space weather / collisions], [climate change], [pandemics], [artificial intelligence], [global conflict]
    • How are you altruistic, and how altruistic should people be? 
    • What does this picture [pale blue dot] make you think about?
    • [Maybe some question about human enhancement / treatment via gene-editing]
  • Ask some or all of the following demographic questions
    • Where did you grow up? 
    • How much school have you received?
    • Are you happy? 
    • How wealthy do you consider yourself?
    • What ethnicity or race do you consider yourself?
  • Pay individual $10 USD and thank them for their time

General Goal / Motivation: I think action-sequence would be an interesting window into what a sample (biased, out of convenience) of "ordinary" Westerners have to say about the near and long-term future of humanity. If a verbal survey like the one I have outlined above is done well, I imagine that it could serve as a gateway for the people questioned and for those who watch it (if posted to YouTube, LW, EAF) to think more about humanity's future and as a gauge of what some Westerners believe are humanity's most pressing issues. I am unaware of anything like this that may have been done, but think there is some value to it; on this point, I am interested in hearing your take.

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