Re: [sl4] Re: repurposing the tithe

From: Matt Mahoney (matmahoney@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Feb 14 2010 - 15:26:13 MST


I am not sure what you have in mind, but "donate to SIAI or suffer eternal Unfriendly AI" ought to be motivated on science and rational thought and not on faith. Religion is successful because beliefs are tested by evolution (e.g. taboos against sex for purposes other than reproduction are common to all religions). There has been no such filtering of ideas related to the singularity. All assertions must be questioned.

 -- Matt Mahoney, matmahoney@yahoo.com

----- Original Message ----
> From: matthew houston <hookysun@gmail.com>
> To: sl4@sl4.org
> Sent: Sun, February 14, 2010 4:49:28 PM
> Subject: [sl4] Re: repurposing the tithe
>
> howdy
>
> thoughts on the following:
> in my neck of the woods theism is rampant, namely oklahoma.
> had this idea for tithing, but of an atheistic nature,
> but actually i have donated and worked with the singularity institute,
> but as long as theism is this meme spreading about, well, the
> singularity meme will have to contend with it, so i thought that
> working to raze the ground of theism might prepare it for planting.
> planting the singularity meme.
> the underlying idea i'm having is that people freed from religion
> might thereafter seek activity with a point, and at least some of them
> will see the friendly AI effort as satisfactory.
>
> i personally have exorcised my girlfriend of religion, and now she's
> absorbed with the concepts of the singularity institute. in fact the
> tithing idea is hers, and generally we both like the idea of taking
> religion's tools and pointing them another way.
> lately she reports that she may exorcise someone in turn, so i'm
> 'enthused' to say the least.
> think about it...



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