[extropy-chat] POLITICS: terrorism and strategies

[Matthew Gingell]

On Thu, 24 Jun 2004, Robert J. Bradbury wrote:

> Ok, granted.  Question 1 revolves around whether a strategic use
> of nuclear weapons can convince terrorists that they cannot win?

No. It can convince them and countless others that we have lost our minds,
that we rank high among the most psychotic and senselessly vicious powers
in history, and that we must be stopped at any and all costs.

And I think I'd probably be sending them a check.

> (A subset of this question involves whether the ends justify the
> means -- and to date I haven't seen a single person deal with this
> in way that can be evaluated.)

Most of the time the means are the ends. Genocide for a good cause doesn't
seem to be in the phase space of possible human politics.

> Question 2 revolves around the question of *what* in the blazes
> do people with extropic or transhumanistic perspectives do with
> all of the people who have historic/faith-based (i.e. not-rational)
> perspectives?

We can always crash an airplane into them I guess. Maybe that would help
them think more clearly.