Effective Accelerationism (e/acc) and how you can be a part of it

Do you know that you are just a result of thousands of years of evolution—of capturing more and more free energy available in the universe?

Yes, I felt weird too when I first heard this. Effective Accelerationism (shortly written as E/acc) or Effective Altruism (as some people may call it) is a philosophical movement initially put forward by a mathematical physicist named Guillaume Verdon.

It basically commands the idea that our main goal is to accelerate technological progress as fast as we can to reach the next level on the Kardashev scale, which is actually just a measure of how much free energy available in the visible universe we can practically harness.

Here is a general overview of the Kardashev scale:

• A Type I civilization is able to access all the energy available on its planet and store it for consumption.

• A Type II civilization can directly consume a star's energy, most likely through the use of a Dyson sphere.

• A Type III civilization is able to capture all the energy emitted by its galaxy and every object within it, such as every star, black hole, etc. (Source:Wikipedia.com)

We are currently on our way to becoming a potential Type I civilization for now. But the E/acc movement proposes the idea that we have to accelerate the technological machine to actually reach Type III civilization for consciousness to survive.

Hell of a dream, Guillaume!

It’s like a cult on the internet, a religion one can say—where our Pope is Mr. Verdon and the whole universe is a place to worship.

Why the hell is energy the goal?

This seems absurd, but if we see it in terms of the second law of thermodynamics, everything that exists is just a form of energy that is harnessed to build whatever we want.

We can’t exist without energy. No living thing can exist without energy. Even nothing can be created without needing energy.

So, in short, it can be implied that all progress and evolution is just our capability to harness more and more free energy available to us by the mighty universe.

Hence, if we just articulate a simple goal to pursue so we cannot be distracted by things that don’t accelerate the techno-machine forward, we can simply say:

To harness as much free energy as possible for the survival of consciousness beyond Earth.

Purpose of the Movement and AGI

Yeah sorry, more AGI rant. But hear me out!

You might think that obviously Effective Accelerationism is the way forward. But the reality is, not everyone is happy about the blazing speed of technological progress.

Every day, more and more people oppose the idea that so much progress might actually harm the planet or cause social disturbances that are not actually worth the change.

For example, in the recent outburst of more advanced AI tools, people are frightened about the future of humanity where AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is the main lead, so they advocate for either extreme regulation of AI progress or a complete ban on further acceleration. They are mostly referred to as “AI doomers” in the public space.

To be honest, most fears of AI doomers are actually legit and should be taken seriously, but this doesn’t have to be followed by a pause in the acceleration of technological progress.

Providing a strong counter to this doomerism, E/acc serves a greater purpose. The word Effective added to Accelerationism actually has a meaning here.

This serves the idea that progress shouldn’t be only for the sake of forward movement, but rather serve as an effective tool for the survival of consciousness—and basically using technology to solve inequality, injustice, and economic problems across humanity (that’s why the term “Effective Altruism”).

Here, AGI can actually do more good than bad. By having thinking partners and sentient beings that are subjected to human order, we might take the next step on the Kardashev scale (Type II civilization) to harness energy beyond the current planet.

Solving the World’s Problems (Effective Altruism)

E/acc is often used synonymously with the term “Effective Altruism.” Altruism, as you might know, means having selfless concern for the well-being of other humans.

The whole movement only validates if the results are some effective solutions to existing problems faced by humanity. Otherwise, it’s just another cult that is seeking public validation with an empty meaning.

Poverty, war, climate change, and health—these might be the overall big issues being faced today by a major part of humanity. If a movement has no foundation in solving these, it’s basically vacant.

Recent developments in AI by DeepMind corporation, including the AlphaFold 2 model, have actually accomplished some real results in protein folding and eventually solving problems like climate change, medicine, and chronic disease.

Quantum computer developments by Google Quantum AI and Microsoft’s Quantum division may eventually result in building more intelligent systems that can think and create from scratch—solutions that can solve humanity’s long-lasting problems.

All of this, if engaged with full care and effective altruism, can help humanity reach the next level on the thermodynamic scale and expand the scope of consciousness to the wider universe.

So How Can I Become a Part of It?

I personally align with the philosophy of E/acc and am truly optimistic about its potential future. Solving big issues and learning about them has always been my go-to place to exhaust my intellectual capabilities. If you want to join too, here is what you have to do:

Firstly, embrace the religion.

Follow our Pope (BasedBeff) on X. Our Pope casually keeps sharing about the movement like a true leader.

And be a part of accelerating the technology machine. Use your mental and physical abilities by aligning yourself to the current progress of technology and make moves that can even result in a little more control over the available free energy in the universe.

But What If You’re a Non-Tech Person?

So what? Being a part of E/acc doesn’t mean you have to be technically literate and building rockets to move humanity’s engine forward. It just means being optimistic about a better future and taking steps that can ensure it.

Last Word

This was my account of the E/acc movement. I personally believe in the power of technology. Have a look toward history—history is just a constantly changing organization of society around the available technology at that time.

So, in short, the technology of any time dictates the direction of the whole society at that time.

Tell me, how are you planning to be a part of e/acc and a great future?