Yes! And additionally, that even conditional on all of Yudkowsky's dire predictions being correct, that we can perform significantly better as a community (and civilization) by taking a more positive attitude (as exemplified by Paul's post).
People and entire societies have faced tough situations (including existential ones) many times and I think there are patterns to what sorts of attitudes maximize probability of success. Facing the brutal facts but remaining hopeful, passionate, and creative.
Hey Zac, I think that's a valid concern. There are various "god powers" that we could potentially use to alleviate suffering, but again, that's not a complete solution. I would claim though, that even given the suffering our universe contains, we should be glad it exists (as opposed to not existing at all).
I suppose this is also related to the debate between negative and classical utilitarians!
Great post, thank you! This could help explain the general intuition about “too good to be true”.