I've seen many criticisms of longtermism, but one I don't think I see often enough is the stunning egotism of it all. "I, the main character, can predict and pl

I've seen many criticisms of longtermism, but one I don't think I see often enough is the stunning egotism of it all. "I, the main character, can predict and plan for the benefit of people in the future, but those NPCs I'm harming today (or their descendants) have no ability to do good themselves." It's a very negative and/or dismissive way of thinking about one's actual fellow humans. Also, in the way that it prioritizes individual action over systems of action, I'd say it's very American. Personally, when I want to think about the long term I think of those systems (as did the Founding Fathers BTW) so even the name "longtermism" is a bit of a cruel joke. It's not really about the long term so much as rationalizing current action.