Re: Does a nanotech pleasure city have to be productive??

Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
28 Sep 1999 12:19:57 +0200

"john grigg" <starman125@hotmail.com> writes:

> And the invaders may in no time become utterly seduced by the enticements of
> a nanotech pleasure city. In history the conqueror would often be conquered
> by the culture they had defeated militarily.

("Ankh Morpok welcomes careful barbarian invaders" - Terry Pratchett describes this very nicely in one of his books, where the traders really want their city invaded, since they know they can always sell stupid souveniers to the invaders.)

This suggests an interesting defence: make the culture and pleasures of the pleasure city so attractive that any invader will get assimilated. Resistance is futile - you will be entertained!

> I realize Muse that you were making the point that not every city should
> HAVE to be economically productive but ironically this city would be a
> fantastic tourist attraction!! If it were attacked it would probably be by
> the jealous combined forces of the Disney and Universal Studios Alliance! I
> can just imagine air cavalry units composed of troops mounted on flying
> Dumbo's and great white sharks! Scary!!

Brrr... on the other hand, being productive means different things to different cities. Pleasure city would produce pleasure, Hell city pain and glee and Permutation City safety, for example. In a wordwide, mobile economy these cities would also have the added protection that people move between them and want their products, making barbarian invaders impopular among a very large group with enormous resources when summed together. If somebody tries to bulldoze <fill in suitable scenic spot> people rally; if somebody tries to bulldoze <fill in suitable economic center> many organisations rally, and if it is something that has both popular, esthetic, economic etc value, then the barbarians would get a very powerful resistance. They better have sneaky lawyer-AIs.

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