[ExI] yet another ethical dilemma

[spike]

From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Mike Dougherty
Subject: Re: [ExI] yet another ethical dilemma

 

On Wed, Sep 4, 2013 at 1:40 PM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:

Do I tell my black cousin?

Or do I go to my grave with that information?

Or do I give the name of my G^3grandmother and let her discover this
shameful history on her own?

 

>.I think this is an interesting question.In this case though, you've
recovered information from the past.  Is there some value to the present? Is
it your responsibility to protect the future from whatever harm may come
from sharing this knowledge?   Mike

 

Mike this is a case where exactly one person other than me would be
interested in knowing it.  Kelly and Adrian may have clued me sufficiently.
Currently unless someone talks me out of it, I am inclined to gently suggest
a possible explanation to my cousin without going into gory details about
the behavior of the Union troops, and give her the name of one of my
ancestors who is likely common to all those white cousins she found.  

 

I see no compulsion to write about it in the family book.

 

It will be interesting to see what she does with the info if she does just a
little digging.  Will she tell her cousins they probably have no former
slaves in their past?  Will she tell them to review their high school
history texts in the chapter called "Sherman's March to the Sea" or google
on it?

 

I will likely pass along the info, but I can see plenty of downside to it.
I have no control over that info once it gets free.  Ja I know information
wants to be free.  But once it is, that information is free to kick anyone's
ass it wants. 

 

spike

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20130904/6f098544/attachment.html>