Re: continuity of self [ was META: Sept. 11 and Singularity]

From: Chris Rae (cmlrae@xtra.co.nz)
Date: Tue Sep 17 2002 - 02:16:07 MDT



>Horrible example. This rite of passage has been forced in order to
>prevent women from fully being able to enjoy sex to supposedly protect
>their purity but actually to protect their husbands from any thought of
>straying for better sex partners. In strictly human terms the practice is
>barbaric and deplorable in the extreme. Stopping it is not an
>unreasonable use of force. Using force to stop the use of of forceo on
>unwilling or unwitting victims is not a clear wrong. It might have been
>better to educate the practice away or in the future just repair the damage.
>
>There is a great deal of difference between this ambiguous case and the
>harm that oculd be done by the incautious and over-exuberant actions of an
>AI, self-directed or otherwise.

Yes, that was a bad example that didn't quite convey my point, which is
that many people, through centuries of exposure to oppressive cultural
practices (from genital mutilation to capitalism), have never experienced
true freedom in their lives. And when outsiders, who don't fully understand
the situation, attempt to do the right thing according to their own
morality, can actually make the net situation worse for those they are
trying to help. To these oppressed people, the creation of an AI is totally
irrelevant until the benefits are accepted by the people themselves. Hence
the need for 'preparation' of humanity for the types of benefits the
singularity will create - such as abundance - which is the objective of the
company I am founding.


Chris






This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Jul 17 2013 - 04:00:41 MDT