Several “Icebreaker” questions have arisen over the course of our many meetups. They serve as a good way to expand thinking and a very good way to know each other. Our current standard questions are:

Standard Questions

• What is your most likely doomsday scenario, either one that ends life on earth, or just modern civilization (nuclear war, AI paperclipping, bio terrorism, Solow collapse, global warming, biblical apocalypse, environmental collapse, etc)
• What would you do if AI automates your job, and all jobs that currently involve computers and screens (separate job categories) in any way? Assume that the job would provide for a comfortable minimum income and that a significantly greater income is not possible (thought one could become more skilled at their job)
• How many steps of dilution are required for one thing to become something else (there is a long setup to this question).

Prospective Questions

• As no one is ever a consistent utilitarian, nor a consistent virtue ethicist/natural right enthusiast, on what major issues do you take a utilitarian position, and what major issues do you take a virtue ethics/natural rights position?
• What prominent thinkers have you intellectually blacklisted or should be intellectually blacklisted, i.e. they are in your intellectual/internet world, but you think they actually subtract intellectual value from any discussion?