[extropy-chat] Are ancestor simulations immoral? (An attempted survey)

[Russell Wallace]

On 5/26/06, A B <austriaaugust at yahoo.com> wrote:

> How about triggering a Meta-stable Vacuum Decay Bubble that expands
> outward at the speed of light? If the Universe turns out to be finite, the
> Bubble would eventually consume all of it, rendering this Universe lifeless
> and matter-less as well. I'm no expert on the subject, but my impression
> from reading is that it could *theoretically* be achieved with a reasonably
> powerful particle accelerator. Although it appears to be extremely unlikely
> as an accidental occurrence.
>

Actually it's the other way around: Cosmic rays exist with far higher
energies than any feasible particle accelerator. Therefore if it were
possible to do it deliberately, it would already have happened by accident.

If an existential disaster destroys all life (and matter) in this Universe,
> then of what value is this idea called "Freedom"?
>

The difference is that existential disasters in the form of comic book style
doomsday machines are fantasy; they exist only in our imagination.
Totalitarianism exists in real life. An imaginary danger cannot be weighed
against a real one.
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