Re: Extropian principles

From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Thu Sep 20 2001 - 01:46:41 MDT


On Wed, Sep 19, 2001 at 03:17:49PM -0700, J. R. Molloy wrote:
> Extropian principlesFrom: Smigrodzki, Rafal
> <<Precisely because a war is threatening to explode, moral principles are even
> more important to guide our behaviour when unrecoverable lives can much easier
> lost than in peacetime.>>
>
> Wrong. "Moral principles" are exactly what combatants hide behind to justify
> their grab for territory and resources.

That people justify their actions by calling upon moral principles
doesn't mean moral principles are worthless. Just look at what people
say they do in the name of democracy and freedom - do you hence consider
democracy and freedom worthless because there are decidely
un-democratic and anti-freedom acts done in their name? It is important
to distinguish surface from substance.

I agree with Rafal, right now moral principles are extremely important.
They become most important when decisions with far-reaching consequences
are being done.

>Morality derives from biology.

Which still doesn't mean it is irrelevant or an arbitrary excuse. And
especially on this forum it should be obvious that we might
deliberately move beyond the old biological imperatives.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
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