On Responsibility and Death: Can We See Reality for What It Is or Will It Break Us
The author reflects on the immense psychological burden of making life-or-death decisions, drawing parallels to a Star Trek episode where a captain must sacrifice some crew to save the ship. Initially, the author experienced profound guilt and self-flagellation from allocating charitable funds, feeling responsible for the suffering of those not helped. This emotional toll led to a desire to stop torturing themselves empathetically, eventually developing a form of dissociation to cope with the weight of these decisions, while acknowledging that inaction is also a form of action with consequences. AI
IMPACT Explores the emotional and psychological challenges of making consequential decisions, even when informed by data, which may be relevant for AI developers and users.