From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Wed May 21 2003 - 03:02:37 MDT
On Tue, May 20, 2003 at 07:03:40PM -0700, Phil Osborn wrote:
> Actually, it is the choice of the variables to map to
> the dimensions which is important. Nolan saw
> correctly that (1) there could be a fairly clean
> division of state coercion into social vs. economic
> and (2) that this division in fact reflected closely
> the real political divisions, so much so, in fact,
> that he ventured to use the resultant map to make
> predictions as to future trends and possible
> successful strategies.
To some extent this is the same method as in scenario planning - find
the "driving forces", and look at the different combinations.
However, I think one could usefully (for our discussions) add a
third axis: technological coercion. Some people want to determine
what and how technology is used and developed, others want to leave
this free and legislate when actual problems develop. So there is
an issue of technological freedom, or freedom to tinker.
So we get the following cube (I won't try to ascii it), with +
representing freedom:
Tech Social Economic
- - - Anti tech authoritarians (reactionaries)
- - + Anti tech conservatives (Kass, Fukyama)
- + - Anti tech liberals (Rifkin)
- + + Anti tech libertarians (small is good?)
+ - - Pro tech authoritarians (high tech fascism, prometheans)
+ - + Pro tech conservatives (good for business)
+ + - Pro tech liberals (left transhumanism?)
+ + + Pro tech libertarian ("classical" extropianism)
Some of these combinations are less common than others. People
accepting social and economic freedom but not technological
freedom seem to be rare, but I think I have encountered a few.
Most seem to want a free "small is good" society with no roaring
singularities.
The content provider fraction is strongly against technological
freedom (at least for others) but does not have much political
ideology; I would guess they are pro economic freedom (at least
for them), so they would be somewhere in the
authoritarian-conservative-centrist region.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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