Even among techno-optimists, visions for the future often consist only of negating negatives: end poverty, cure cancer, stop climate change.

These are good, but we need more. We need actual positives: flying cars, abundant energy, exploring space, immortality.

Maybe a clearer way of putting this is: the former vision, at best, brings everyone up to the level of a moderately lucky and well-off person today, but no further.

We need to strive to create things *better* than anyone has ever had: to live longer, travel farther, etc.

Immortality, for instance, is not just negating death. It is giving people many, many more years of life. More life than anyone has ever had, more than all but a few have ever even believed possible.

The top thing I've learned from this thread is how many people are against immortality! Yikes. Until I write my own response to this, watch this @cgpgrey video (and also the part 2 from @Kurz_Gesagt):