Wish for omnipotence. Now you can do whatever you want. Now that you have that, make yourself incrementally smarter so you can better define smart each time. Become indestructible, but not like a super strong dead piece of metal like that asshole well would've done. Then transform the human race into a spacefaring utopian, post scarcity society where your new smartass self defines what that is. Basically become a real benevolent god.
I know that you can't really answer this perfectly since you (or any of us) don't have that omniscient smartness, but if you were tasked to do this but with your current intelligence: in what ways would you transform humanity to better reach that goal?
Funnily enough, this is the sort of stuff I half-assedly think about when I can't fall asleep (i.e. all of my life). Through the years I fine tune it or even change it completely. For some years now the current idle thought has been something like "How would you make life as fair as possible for everyone if you had unlimited power?". IIRC current thought is something like:
All sicknesses and illness are no more. People (and animals) can't get sick anymore. This also eliminates getting old and dying of old age (more on this below). If they so desire, people can regrow lost limbs or part of their bodies or heal lost capabilities (covers current and future losses). One's own brain can't be involuntarily destroyed, which means you can always regenerate back to full no matter what happens to you. The idea is to make people functionally immortal (brain is also immune to degradation, dementia, etc).
Since people don't get old and can't die, the fail safe for those that do wish to finish their own existence (I know I probably would want to eventually, be it after 70 years, 200 or a million) is that anyone can voluntarily die. I'd say it's not instant though. They must maintain a firm and constant will to die for a long period of time (maybe a year? maybe that's too long). If they have maintained a will to stop existing for that long, they do die. No one can kill other people, only each person can decide if and when to die. It's painless.
It is no longer necessary to eat, drink, breath, sleep, etc. This goes for all humans and animals. People can still do it of course for the pleasure of it but it's not needed.
People can alter their body in whatever way they want. They can change body types, including bone and muscle, can change (or add or delete) genitals, can gain or get rid of bodily functions (e.g. you can get rid of periods but still be able to be pregnant, or gain the capability to be pregnant if you already didn't have it). And yes, you can grow furry ears and whatever.
But at the same time, since everyone is now a shapeshifter, people now also have the ability to identify other people no matter what their appearance is. You suddenly went from being a 3 meter hulking alligator man to a little 50 cm fairy girl? I can still instantly tell you are my sibling.
There are different ways of conceiving a new human. It occurs whenever 1 or 2 or more humans intentionally will it. All parties must maintain a firm and constant will for it to happen for a long enough period of time (maybe 9 months). If at some point any of the parties has doubts, it will not happen. Sex isn't technically required (though it can absolutely happen for those that enjoy the tradition). The new baby will automatically share the DNA of all the parties. If the parties want the actual pregnancy to actually occur in the body of one them, they can will it so and it will be so (again, as long as everyone keeps willing it for the whole time). If no one wants to actually carry the baby in their body, the baby will simply pop into existence in the hands of one of the parties after the necessary time period passes.
All humans have now the same baseline strength regardless of their bodies. When a being attempts to do something to another being against their will, they instead become paralyzed for an hour. For kink enjoyers, don't worry, if deep inside you want to get roughed up for some fetish reason the paralysis will not occur, since it's not actually against your will. In general, this should mean no more rape and unwanted violence.
With no illnesses and functional immortality, the planet might become overpopulated eventually. Humans can now more easily go to space of course (since they no longer require breathing and all that). But since many might prefer to stay on Earth, from now on Earth (and every planet) is functionally infinite. That is to say, the planets occupy a defined mass in space, but once you set foot on the planet, it becomes a plane that infinitely expands in all directions. There will always be enough Earth for everyone as long as they are willing to travel it and explore. Same goes on for every planet. Think of them like magical tents that occupy a small space but once you are inside it contains an infinite world. So for Earth the "center" of the plane would be our current 2D world map but from then it would expand with new lands and seas. So yeah, while you are in a planet it is flat, once you leave it from your perspective it becomes a sphere again.
I've talked about physical illnesses, but what about mental ones? Well, the spectrum is too ample and varied and I don't feel qualified to sort out which ones are 100% harmful vs which ones are harmful some of the time vs which ones are simply neuro-atypical. So I'd say I'd give every person the ability to switch from neural state of mind to another. If you have down's syndrome and you want to keep living like that, by all means. If you want to change it, you can too. And if you want to switch on and off between those states, then that too. The only thing I'd "change" is that you always have some level of intuitive understanding that this is a possibility, that you can switch. The same goes for every personality disorder, for every mental condition, for every mental illness, for every personality feature, for every compulsion, for every trauma. You can even switch on and off for remembering certain things.
All these points serve to try to make it more fair for every current and new human that exists and will exist. But what about the humans that are already dead? What about the babies that died of sickness, the kids that were murdered, the victims of sex trafficking that endured a life of horror, and at the end of the day what about every single human and animal that ever lived and was shaped by an unfair world even if they in turn hurt or even killed? So... since the world's infinite and space is not a problem anymore, every single being to have ever existed is revived. The previous points apply to them too.
Have philosophers managed to put together a universal best wish?
The best thing I can think of is: true and abiding justice for all of humanity.
I'm sure there's a monkey's paw in there somewhere, but I feel like it would potentially have the best outcome for as many people as possible?
So vague, what does "true" justice even mean? If I was an evil ~~genie~~ well, I would make you regret that wish.
Wish for omnipotence. Now you can do whatever you want. Now that you have that, make yourself incrementally smarter so you can better define smart each time. Become indestructible, but not like a super strong dead piece of metal like that asshole well would've done. Then transform the human race into a spacefaring utopian, post scarcity society where your new smartass self defines what that is. Basically become a real benevolent god.
I know that you can't really answer this perfectly since you (or any of us) don't have that omniscient smartness, but if you were tasked to do this but with your current intelligence: in what ways would you transform humanity to better reach that goal?
Funnily enough, this is the sort of stuff I half-assedly think about when I can't fall asleep (i.e. all of my life). Through the years I fine tune it or even change it completely. For some years now the current idle thought has been something like "How would you make life as fair as possible for everyone if you had unlimited power?". IIRC current thought is something like:
All sicknesses and illness are no more. People (and animals) can't get sick anymore. This also eliminates getting old and dying of old age (more on this below). If they so desire, people can regrow lost limbs or part of their bodies or heal lost capabilities (covers current and future losses). One's own brain can't be involuntarily destroyed, which means you can always regenerate back to full no matter what happens to you. The idea is to make people functionally immortal (brain is also immune to degradation, dementia, etc).
Since people don't get old and can't die, the fail safe for those that do wish to finish their own existence (I know I probably would want to eventually, be it after 70 years, 200 or a million) is that anyone can voluntarily die. I'd say it's not instant though. They must maintain a firm and constant will to die for a long period of time (maybe a year? maybe that's too long). If they have maintained a will to stop existing for that long, they do die. No one can kill other people, only each person can decide if and when to die. It's painless.
It is no longer necessary to eat, drink, breath, sleep, etc. This goes for all humans and animals. People can still do it of course for the pleasure of it but it's not needed.
People can alter their body in whatever way they want. They can change body types, including bone and muscle, can change (or add or delete) genitals, can gain or get rid of bodily functions (e.g. you can get rid of periods but still be able to be pregnant, or gain the capability to be pregnant if you already didn't have it). And yes, you can grow furry ears and whatever.
But at the same time, since everyone is now a shapeshifter, people now also have the ability to identify other people no matter what their appearance is. You suddenly went from being a 3 meter hulking alligator man to a little 50 cm fairy girl? I can still instantly tell you are my sibling.
There are different ways of conceiving a new human. It occurs whenever 1 or 2 or more humans intentionally will it. All parties must maintain a firm and constant will for it to happen for a long enough period of time (maybe 9 months). If at some point any of the parties has doubts, it will not happen. Sex isn't technically required (though it can absolutely happen for those that enjoy the tradition). The new baby will automatically share the DNA of all the parties. If the parties want the actual pregnancy to actually occur in the body of one them, they can will it so and it will be so (again, as long as everyone keeps willing it for the whole time). If no one wants to actually carry the baby in their body, the baby will simply pop into existence in the hands of one of the parties after the necessary time period passes.
All humans have now the same baseline strength regardless of their bodies. When a being attempts to do something to another being against their will, they instead become paralyzed for an hour. For kink enjoyers, don't worry, if deep inside you want to get roughed up for some fetish reason the paralysis will not occur, since it's not actually against your will. In general, this should mean no more rape and unwanted violence.
With no illnesses and functional immortality, the planet might become overpopulated eventually. Humans can now more easily go to space of course (since they no longer require breathing and all that). But since many might prefer to stay on Earth, from now on Earth (and every planet) is functionally infinite. That is to say, the planets occupy a defined mass in space, but once you set foot on the planet, it becomes a plane that infinitely expands in all directions. There will always be enough Earth for everyone as long as they are willing to travel it and explore. Same goes on for every planet. Think of them like magical tents that occupy a small space but once you are inside it contains an infinite world. So for Earth the "center" of the plane would be our current 2D world map but from then it would expand with new lands and seas. So yeah, while you are in a planet it is flat, once you leave it from your perspective it becomes a sphere again.
I've talked about physical illnesses, but what about mental ones? Well, the spectrum is too ample and varied and I don't feel qualified to sort out which ones are 100% harmful vs which ones are harmful some of the time vs which ones are simply neuro-atypical. So I'd say I'd give every person the ability to switch from neural state of mind to another. If you have down's syndrome and you want to keep living like that, by all means. If you want to change it, you can too. And if you want to switch on and off between those states, then that too. The only thing I'd "change" is that you always have some level of intuitive understanding that this is a possibility, that you can switch. The same goes for every personality disorder, for every mental condition, for every mental illness, for every personality feature, for every compulsion, for every trauma. You can even switch on and off for remembering certain things.
All these points serve to try to make it more fair for every current and new human that exists and will exist. But what about the humans that are already dead? What about the babies that died of sickness, the kids that were murdered, the victims of sex trafficking that endured a life of horror, and at the end of the day what about every single human and animal that ever lived and was shaped by an unfair world even if they in turn hurt or even killed? So... since the world's infinite and space is not a problem anymore, every single being to have ever existed is revived. The previous points apply to them too.
Somebody give this person omnipotence, right now.
As a certified super wise guy™️, my best wish would be no wish at all.
As much happiness in the universe as possible.