Much of Torres's work focuses on existential risk, the study of potential catastrophic events that could result in human extinction. They have also described a focus of their work as "existential ethics", which they define as "questions about whether our extinction would be right or wrong to bring about if it happened".[5] They also study the history of human ideas, and have researched the histories of some contemporary philosophical movements.[6][7]
In 2016, Torres published a book titled The End: What Science and Religion Tell Us About the Apocalypse, which discusses both religious and secular eschatology, and describes threats from technologies such as nuclear weapons, biological engineering, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.[3] In 2017 they published another book, titled Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing: An Introduction to Existential Risks. Like their first book, it discusses a range of existential threats, but also delves into what they term "agential risk": the roles of outside agents in existential risk. Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing was positively reviewed in Futures as a "current and timely" introduction to existential risk.[8]
In 2023, Torres became a postdoctoral researcher at Case Western Reserve University's Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence.[9] Also in 2023, Routledge published Torres's Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation.[1] The book posits that the rise of Christianity, along with Christianity's focus on salvation, removed the topic of human extinction from public discourse.[1]: 1They argue that concerns around human extinction have re-emerged amid increasing secularism.[1][10] While Torres does not in practice "wish to see or promote" human extinction, they contend that it would not be inherently bad if it were to occur without violence, such as with declining birthrates.[11]
Torres runs a reading group devoted to "The Ethics of Human Extinction."[16]
Harassment allegations
The Guardian reported in 2023 that there were "accounts of Torres harassing the philosopher Peter Boghossian and the British cultural theorist Helen Pluckrose." In the same article, Torres disputed these accounts as being part of a coordinated campaign to undermine Torres's critiques of "radical far-right views".[1]: 1
Transhumanism, longtermism, and effective altruism
For the first decade of their career, Torres identified as a transhumanist, longtermist, and effective altruist.[1][17] Before 2017, Torres contributed writing to the Future of Life Institute, a non-profit organization focused on technology and existential risk. After turning against the organization and opposing techno-optimism with ideas such as a need for a moratorium on the development of artificial intelligence, Torres says they were ousted and their writing removed from the website.[18]
Torres later left the longtermist, transhumanist, and effective altruist communities, and became a vocal critic.[4][19] Torres claims that longtermism and related ideologies stem from eugenics, and could be used to justify "dangerous" consequentialist thinking.[19] Along with Timnit Gebru, Torres coined the acronym neologism "TESCREAL" to refer to what they see as a group of related philosophies: transhumanism, extropianism, singularitarianism, cosmism, rationalism, effective altruism, and longtermism.[6] They first publicized the term in a paper on artificial general intelligence (AGI). Torres argued that a race towards developing AGI would instead produce systems that harm marginalized groups and concentrate power.[4]
Torres continued to write extensively about the philosophies, and about how they intersect with respect to artificial intelligence.[20] They have criticized adherents of those philosophies for treating AGI as a technological solution to issues like climate change and access to education, while ignoring other political, social, or economic factors.[21] They have also expressed concern over their belief that longtermism is prominent in the tech industry.[22] Torres has also been described as a critic of techno-optimism.[23] Ozy Brennan, writing in Asterisk magazine, criticized Torres's approach of grouping different philosophies as if they were a "monolithic" movement. They argue Torres has misunderstood these different philosophies, and has taken philosophical thought experiments out of context.[24]James Hughes and Eli Sennesh have argued that Torres's approach is characterized by a "conspiracy style of argumentation", which they contend represents "bad intellectual history and bad politics."[25]
Torres has also written about artificial intelligence, and has advocated for more focus on AI harms including intellectual property theft, algorithmic bias, and concentration of wealth in technology corporations.[19] Although effective altruism and a newer philosophy known as effective accelerationism have been described as opposing sides of the argument on how to approach developing artificial intelligence, Torres has opined that the two groups are in fact very similar, and characterized the conflict as a "family dispute". "What's missing is all of the questions that AI ethicists are asking about algorithmic bias, discrimination, the environmental impact of [AI systems], and so on," Torres told The Independent.[26]
^Torres, Émile P. (April 30, 2023). "'An odd and peculiar ideology'" (Interview). Interviewed by Esther Menhard. Netzpolitik.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024. netzpolitik.org: You have spoken out against longtermism. What is wrong with it in your view? Torres: First I would have to underline the extent to which this view is influential in the world. Elon Musk calls it a "close match for my philosophy". It's really pervasive in the tech industry.
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