Re: Singularity: Individual, Borg, Death?

Dan Fabulich (daniel.fabulich@yale.edu)
Wed, 09 Dec 1998 08:49:29 -0500

Nick Bostrom wrote:
>You don't think there is anything wrong with torturing innocent
>people for a little fun?!
>
>I don't want to advocate any specific interpretation of moral
>statements here. But however we choose to interpret such statements,
>it does seem to be a fact that almost all reasonable people agree
>that it is wrong (whatever that means) to torture innocent people
>for a little fun. *If* there are "objective" truths in ethics (which
>I am not claiming) then I think we can be fairly confident that that
>is one of them.

<shrug> While even I agree with you on this point, our near universal moral repugnance to this idea suggests that it may be evolutionarily based. If so, then the conviction is far from objective, but rather simply due to our common heritage; had game theory allowed us to hold a different view and develop into an intelligent society, we might think it objectively true that torturing the pedestrians is the highest moral good.

-Dan

-GIVE ME IMMORTALITY OR GIVE ME DEATH-