Here‘s Tyler’s list.  Here’s mine:

1. I am a pessimist about the likelihood of making democracy work better than it does.  We can push the world in a better direction (as Bob Tollison says, “We’re all part of the equilibrium”), but economic illiteracy and general mush-headedness will continue to plague mankind indefinitely.

2. I am a pessimist about our overall intellectual culture.  “Leading thinkers” will continue to be insipid, conventional, boring, obscurantist, and/or wrong.  Rational, high-IQ people will continue to be siphoned away from the path of common sense by the errors of materialism, determinism, and moral skepticism.

3. I am a pessimist about our overall political culture.  Social democracy and nationalism will continue to plague mankind indefinitely.

4. I am a pessimist about life extension.  The only path to centuries of healthy life (as opposed to mere simulation) is probably genetically engineering embryos – and it’s too late for me and everyone I care about.

5. I am an optimist about world economic growth.  In a hundred years absolute poverty will be  gone, and marvels and wonders that Bill Gates lacks will be common.

6. I am an optimist about dictatorship.  In a hundred years, dictatorship will be gone.  And yes, democracy is a lot less bad.

7. I am an optimist about peace.  In a hundred years, a major war on earth will be an unthinkable as a major war in Europe is today.  There will be no major nuclear exchange or world war along the way.

8. I am an optimist about China.  In thirty years China will be democratic, rich, and peaceful.

9. I am an optimist about the best intellectual and political culture.  The Masonomic vision will not become dominant, but it will be a vibrant, self-sustaining intellectual and political counter-culture.

10. More generally, I am an optimist about the best life people can lead if they so choose.  Thirty years ago, you had to be a hermit to secede from the evils of the world.  Thanks to the Internet and related marvels, I now reside in the real world but live in an Epicurean garden.  I share my favorite books and games with my many children.  I have exciting conversations with brilliant minds every day.  I enjoy the best culture in the world, and killfile the rest.  As time goes on, this upper tail will keep getting better – and almost anyone who wants to partake will be able to do so cheaply and conveniently.