[https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/X6Nx9QzzvDhj8Ek9w/a-slow-guide-to-confronting-doom-v1]

I strongly suspect human brains have the ability to enter a depression state because the state does something useful. It seems to me that depression often arises from feeling stuck or not believing that one is able/on track to achieve acceptable outcomes. It’s like the brain, dissatisfied with the situation, boycotts and withdraws motivation. Something like that.

Having one’s brain not let you mindlessly or unreflectively continue down a path that won’t work, seems maybe useful. I’m not sure if that’s it, but I think it’s something.

Capitalism: our best, or even only, truly working coordination mechanism for deciding what the world should work on is capitalism and money, which allocates resources towards the most productive uses. This incentivizes growth and technological progress. There’s no corresponding coordination mechanism for good political outcomes, incl. for preventing extinction.