80,000 Hours Podcast
Had World War 1 never happened, you might never have existed.
It’s very unlikely that the exact chain of events that led to your conception would have happened otherwise — so perhaps you wouldn't have been born.
Would that mean that it's better for you that World War 1 happened (regardless of whether it was better for the world overall)?
On the one hand, if you're living a pretty good life, you might think the answer is yes – you get to live rather than not.
On the other hand, it sounds strange to say tha...