[extropy-chat] Are ancestor simulations immoral?

[Lee Corbin]

Jef Albright writes  (hi Jef!)

> On 5/27/06, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at tsoft.com> wrote:
> > Really, it's all very silly. Clearly no one is actually having
> > any harm come to them. So what if a person briefly passes into
> > and out of existence in a nanosecond?  Instead of worrying about
> > the fantastic numbers of "deaths", worry instead about happiness 
> > and suffering.

> Some individuals on this list would argue that the creation of 
> sentient life is an intrinsic (extropic) good, and destroying 
> that same life is therefore bad.  Others would argue, as you 
> seem to imply and in accord with Pearce's hedonistic imperative, 
> that happiness and suffering are intrinsically good and bad 
> respectively.

Actually, I agree totally with *both* of these propositions. As
Anders say, the creation of life (say, as opposed to vacuum) is
good. And as Pearce writes, happiness is intrinsically good
www.hedweb.com.

> I would argue against both of these positions 
> and say that none of these are intrinsically good or
> bad, but can only be evaluated relative to some set
> of subjective values,

Of course!  It's quite literally inconceivable to me that there
are global Bad and Good. To be speaking exactly precisely,
I approve of life (as opposed to vacuum), approve of happiness.

> which fortunately for society we hold in common to some extent. 

Yes, though, unfortunately not everyone holds these values, yet!

> I expect that you have already thought this through in some
> depth, but I would not like to leave standing the impression
> that happiness without meaning (such as a drug-induced state
> of blissful incapacitation) would be intrinsically good or
> that suffering is intrinsically bad. 

Au contraire!  As opposed to the default (say vacuum) I heartily
approve of any kind of benefit, including drug induced states of
blissful incapacitation. I even approve of those states relative
to states of unrelieved misery. And, as always "intrinsically
good" means merely "I approve".

Lee