Re: Compulsory service

Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Wed, 23 Apr 1997 00:09:37 +0200 (MET DST)


Hmm, my bovo-sacrimeter gives clear indications that sacred cows are
present in this debate. Please take the proper precautions and especially
avoid rhetoric (it feeds them).

On Sun, 20 Apr 1997, Lee Daniel Crocker wrote:

> Utopia might not be
> possible, but since I can't run simulations of whole societies to find
> out, I must rely on principle and reason.

I hope we will be able to remedy that in the near future. People are
already doing alife simulations of simple societies (usually rather
ant-like) and of course the evolution of cooperation. It would be
interesting (and probably only a matter of time) to study a more
realistic model where different social structures could be tested.
Simulations support reason, at least when everyone is allowed to test
them and their basic assumptions are known.

> Reason tells me that a free
> society would work, and would be less likely to commit the atrocities
> that every govenment in human history has committed.

Suggestion: why not explain this clearly and logically in a way (say) a
ten-year old could understand, and then let your opponent put forth his
model in the same simple way. Then we can start analyzing what reason
tells us (but don't forget history; reason isn't always right).

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Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
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