Ask HN: What should I be doing to Maximize the Benefit Mankind can get from me?

3 points by tonmoy 9y ago ↗ HN

All my life I was productive thinking I need to maximize my productivity because I want to maximize the benefit I can provide to mankind. I got into science because I thought that is how I personally could contribute most. Recently I am having a sort late 20s crisis. Are the chips I am helping design to improve efficiency of consumer electronics helping mankind at all? Probably not as much as I could be doing. I am wondering what I could be doing in terms of a different job or a side project to help mankind the most (or at least help me rationalize what I am doing is actually helping mankind somehow).

7 comments

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meira 9y ago ↗

I would start by understanding the polítics behind your boss or contractor. People working at silicon valley, for example, are frequently helping someone to apply an agenda that don't benefit a lot of people other than their shareholders.

tonmoy 9y ago ↗

I am fairly sure the same applies for my company as well. Very little I can do about it, since I singed the contract I am obligated to consider the best interest of the shareholder.

meira 9y ago ↗

It is important to think about it, because you may be helping hijack society, what would put you far behind your initial (and inspiring) intent.

vinchuco 9y ago ↗

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs This puts it better than I ever could!

vinchuco 9y ago ↗

To answer your question, instead of maximizing your output, I believe that maximizing everyone else's output is more valuable. It is also harder, otherwise someone else would have already done it.

I am very biased to answer that mathematics drives science. Advance the tools and applications follow. [1]

Here is a more heuristic take on it by Elon Musk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnBQmEqBCY0

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12283929

philiphodgen 9y ago ↗

1. Take care of yourself. Morally, physically, spiritually, intellectually. You cannot serve others without this first.

2. Work one-on-one with another person. Someone helped you. Now you help someone else. Then another. The ego says you must impact millions. Truly, you will do more by changing one person's life. Then another. The chain reaction will take effect.

3. Serve a small group in your community. Be a worker among workers. A friend among friends. Don't go for glory. Don't try to be the Big Cheese. Be there for service to make the organization better.

Your work can be a channel for these efforts. So can being a spouse and a parent.

Everyone wants to be Steve Jobs or Bob Dylan or Martin Luther King.

Just be a good dad. There is a universe of value in that.

tonmoy 9y ago ↗

This is my minimum goal now, something I must do no matter where I end up.