[ExI] Effectiveness of democracy as a result of selection bias

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 8:43 AM, Henrique Moraes
Machado<cetico.iconoclasta at gmail.com> wrote:
> Rafal> ### From my point of view, democracy is a crappy tool, to be used
> only
>>
>> until enough people grow up and are capable of making a better
>> society.
>
> The very concept of state comes IMHO from the necessity to cope with
> scarcity of resources. To get rid of democracy, and every other form of
> government, it's necessary first to reach a post-scarcity society type. This
> all in theory, because I really don't know if us apes can exist without some
> kind of politics. And there's also the possibility that once we attain this
> post-scarcity society (if...) we won't have anything to do other than
> politics...
>
### As I keep insisting, overcoming our evil ways is not something
that happens simply as a function of having more moolah to play with
(although it helps a bit) but rather a question of moral development,
whether "natural" or through technological means. Once we have the
ability to shape our minds freely (autopsychoengineering), and to
prove our moral qualities to others directly through a demonstration
of our neural circuitry, some of us will no doubt elect to change
themselves to completely and provably renounce violence.

This will have significant consequences for the society, since such
people will be able to form an in-group of unique capabilities - such
as cooperating with each other without the need to maintain coercive
safeguards against in-group violence.

If some of us survive the singularity I do hope we will be able to
grow in numbers, fend off the attacks of those who refuse to
relinquish violence, and form the first truly ethical society.

Rafal