Date sent: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 02:19:54 -0500 From: "Eliezer S. Yudkowsky" <sentience@pobox.com> To: extropians@extropy.com Subject: Re: META: List discipline -- look out for ruling by Greg Burch Send reply to: extropians@extropy.com
> Max More wrote:
> >
> > Since Greg is more actively involved with the list than am I at this time,
> > he will announce our ruling to curb this problem. I stand behind his
> > statements and his judgement completely. Greg has the power to suspend from
> > the list those who ignore his ruling.
>
> Hear, hear!
>
> I would like to urge that the reasons behind the ruling be explained in
> sufficiently generic terms that the ruling can be retargeted quickly in
> case this happens again. I'm not necessarily suggesting that this
> particular ruling be expanded beyond guns, understand - I'd just like to
> support the idea of this ruling as a precedent-setting example, a
> framework, and not a temporary exigency.
>
> With many core transhumanist concepts going at least semi-mainstream, we
> have to deal with the fact that the Extropian list is known to a wider
> range of posters. This is a good thing, and I'm sure the majority will
> become valued transhumanists. But it's also true that a wider range of
> these posters will not be familiar with the core concepts of
> Extropianism. If the list is to remain interesting, there has to be a
> definite (and enforced) limit on non-novel argument about the
> fundamentals. I am fully in favor of explaining things to novices, but
> not *arguing* the basics with them.
> --
I do trust that the allegedly inviolable right of convicted violent
criminals, children and the certifiably insane to free and unfettered
access to the means of quick and efficient long-rannge mass
murder is not such a "basic tenet" of extropianism. If it is, count
me out.
>
> sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
> http://pobox.com/~sentience/tmol-faq/meaningoflife.html
> Running on BeOS Typing in Dvorak Programming with Patterns
> Voting for Libertarians Heading for Singularity There Is A Better Way
>