[extropy-chat] Freedom (was Are ancestor simulations immoral?)

[BillK]

On 5/27/06, Lee Corbin wrote:
>
<snip>
>
> I fear you have an unconscious image of some huge government
> agency with absolute power that acts to stop what one "shouldn't
> be able" to do (including ancestor simulations), but does permit
>  what one "should be able" to do. This is the whole very, very
> problematic part.
>
> Avoiding tyranny can only be done by somehow (rather miraculously)
> placing limits on what this agency from the outside can do. Its
> power and its knowledge must be kept to an absolute minimum, so
> long as the survival of everything is not at stake. More about
> this in a moment.
>

'Freedom' is getting a bit confused, I think.

The only way an individual can have perfect freedom is by avoiding
interacting with other people in *any* way.  Even non-personal
interactions like torturing kittens will bring other people around
trying to limit your 'freedom', if your hobby becomes known.

As soon as any other people are involved you immediately have to face
up to restrictions on your freedom. From, 'No, you can't go out
drinking tonight!', through 'Get off my land!' to 'Hand over your
wallet or I shoot!'. Civilisation depends on restricting citizens
freedoms. The political choice is how much restriction is allowable
under the circumstances applying at a particular time and place.

When homebrew plagues, homebrew nano factories and such like become
easily available, we should expect much greater freedom restrictions.

It's a simple cost/benefit analysis.

BillK