[ExI] keynes vs hayek again, was: RE: 3d printers for sale

[Anders Sandberg]

On 28/08/2012 12:27, Charlie Stross wrote:
> On 28 Aug 2012, at 04:06, Anders Sandberg <anders at aleph.se> wrote:
> What would a *good* solution to the car-bomb problem be?
> As with all security threats, a *good* solution is to pre-empt the incentives that generate such a threat.
...
> A good start would be to work on identifying such potential flashpoints and defusing them before they generate radicals who are willing to take up arms. But that's a political problem, and possibly a structural problem for any government that attempts to administer a diverse population.

There is also the problem that such a "political technology" would be 
double-edged: it might work well for defusing any legitimate grievances. 
Especially Putin's Russia has demonstrated that it is possible to buy 
out a lot of potential opponents with oil money (although there is 
plenty of stick around too, besides the carrot). One could imagine a 
near future total surveillance society that uses its databases together 
with some randomized trials to produce evidence based policy for keeping 
citizens compliant.

The fundamental problem comes about when the government sets the agenda 
of the citizens too efficiently.



> It's one reason why I consider drone strikes to be a reprehensible and very dangerous form of warfare. They're basically assassination weapons. And assassination is *cheap*. It lowers the threshold of violence and makes it possible for poor governments to play on a level playing field with world powers, which in turn generates more flashpoints and ultimately causes chaos.

A bit like non-lethal weapons. Ah, "less lethal weapons", sorry. Lowers 
the threshold for attacking, since the cost seems to be much lower. "Oh, 
if I was wrong I can always apologize. No harm done, right?"



> More like: automated ubiquitous vehicle sensor networks in all roads 
> so that all operational vehicles, manned or automated, are identified 
> and tracked at all times. And a mandatory fail-safe police despatch 
> controlled cut-off for automated vehicles: as in, UNLESS an AV has 
> permission to operate, it WILL shut down immediately and be flagged up 
> in a control room. Yes, normally all AVs will have permission to 
> operate -- but it needs to be a system whereby AVs can only operate by 
> permit, and if an attempt is made to disable or spoof the automated 
> remote cut-off, that needs to generate an urgent police call.

Ah, the immune system problem. Since it is impossible to determine what 
could be pathogenic, it is easier - and doable - to catalogue what is 
"self" and attack/reject everything non-self. Of course, human systems 
can have slightly smarter systems for converting nonself into self, 
although that introduces some risk.





-- 
Anders Sandberg,
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Faculty of Philosophy
Oxford University