Re: Hanson antiproliferation method?

Eric Watt Forste (arkuat@pobox.com)
Sun, 24 Aug 1997 18:09:08 -0700


Nicholas Bostrom writes:
> One way one might try to prevent them is by having a global
> organization with legislative powers that surveils the use of
> the most dangerous technologies and prevents irresponsible
> agents from acquiring them. The only enteties in the real
> world even remotely resembling this are the UN and a US led
> coalision.

I disagree. There are *no* entities in the real world even
remotely resembling "this". What you are describing is a fantasy.
Such a concentration of all existing global legislative powers
into a single organization would itself create a tremendously
irresponsible agent, and it is that agent that would develop
and wield the weapons you fear.

I really don't like to take a conservative stance, but since you
are asking for an alternative that is better than your scenario,
and since I'm pretty sure that since your preferred scenario looks
like a fantasy to me, you will doubtless judge that my preferred
scenario (an agoristic society) is as unrealistic as I think yours
is, I can only propose to you that I think the status quo would
be a preferable alternative to what you are proposing.

--
Eric Watt Forste ++ arkuat@pobox.com ++ expectation foils perception -pcd