Ancestor Test for Activism

Judge activist demands by asking: would people 100–200 years ago, placed in our circumstances, adopt the change to better achieve their existing values? Favor 'adaptivist' activism that responds to new facts or environments over value‑rewriting crusades. Hanson’s back‑of‑the‑envelope review of 25 big movements suggests most were framed as value shifts rather than adaptations or experiments. — This gives policymakers, funders, and institutions a simple, memorable filter to prioritize adaptive reforms and de‑prioritize moral revolutions likelier to be maladaptive.