Re: The End of Privacy ?

Scott Badger (wbadger@psyberlink.net)
Wed, 1 Jul 1998 10:44:38 -0500

To mark@unicorn.com :

Trying to avoid the targets of crazies with mass destruction capabilities makes no sense to me. Where exactly would you predict crazies are going to strike? They're CRAZY! You'd end up turning into an agoraphobic. Leave the Earth? Temporary solution at best for a long-lived organism.

I understand that we should all be concerned with our own welfare. But your
"So what?" attitude is still a bit disconcerting. Perhaps I'm misreading,
but it sounds like you're saying, "Just don't be one of the unfortunate ones. You can't stop crazies so don't even try. Save your own butt." I hope this is not a common perspective among extropians. I don't conceive of Transhumanism as being about ME transcending MY limits, but about US transcending OUR limits. Your solution hardly reflects any humane concern for the safety or welfare of innocent others, perhaps less enlightened or informed. If we had some ideas about how to minimize the danger, wouldn't we be ethically obliged to do something about it instead of just stock up on groceries and such? This subject obviously carries into the ethics string, so I'll let it be. I agree with Anders in that the problem is real and will require substantial attention because so much will be at stake. Wouldn't the principle of dynamic optimism suggest that we take a more productive approach to the problem than *avoidance*?

S.B.