[ExI] ai in education

[spike at rainier66.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat

Subject: Re: [ExI] ai in education

On 08/03/2026 16:28, spike wrote:
>>... I am not so much a believer in the current POTUS.  I am neutral on him.  But I am a firm believer in the process that got him there.  That process selected him in a 7-0 clean sweep of all the states in play.  Shrug.  I didn’t think that would happen, so I lost money. 


>...You're assuming here that the process was simple democracy....

On the contrary Ben, it isn't simple democracy, because the USA is not a democracy.  It is a democratic republic.  The founders knew that all democracies are unstable.  They hoped to stabilize simple democracy by inserting the electoral college, which reinforces the importance of state governments.  The USA is a republic, consisting of the united governments of 50 states, united in common cause: common defense, promote the general welfare, you know the thing.

>...I'm pretty sure that's not the case....

You are right on that.  

In the USA, we recognize there are two major parties, and that any vote not for one of those two parties is irrelevant for they cannot win.  Our recognition that there are few states in play (typically seven or eight) is equivalent to recognizing that any vote not for one of the two majors is irrelevant.  There were seven states in play in the last three elections.  There might be eight in the next one, we don't know yet.

>...I don't know if it was primarily facebook, primarily the russians, or something else, or some combination, but it wasn't just plain democracy, it was democracy influenced heavily by lots of false information....

So we are told.  However... the voters get to decide what is false information.  They did.

>...Do you really think that Trump could get elected (twice!) without some kind of shady shenanigans? Even I don't think americans en-masse are that stupid....

There is more to it.  In a two-party system, the voters are not necessarily endorsing the winner.  They are voting against the loser.  The current POTUS had already served a term.  The voters knew what they were getting.  The opponent had served a term as VPOTUS.  She was not impressive in that role.  Note the AI speech.

>...Democracy, as we used to know it, is pretty much dead at this point. We always knew it wasn't a very good system, the big problem now is that we still haven't devised anything better...

Democracy is the second worst system of government ever invented.  The only worse system is everything else.


>...Perhaps I'd better shut up now, this is dangerously political and I don't want to get banned.

-- 
Ben

Ben, ExiMod isn't objecting to politics (as far as I know.)  ExiMod objects to flame wars and personal attacks.  I agree with ExiMod on this: people can have political views (even extreme ones (as I do (from some points of view (which are extreme themselves)))) while still being respectful to those who oppose.  That's the principle I always try to live by and post by.  You are now and have always been a perfect gentleman.  I don't recall a single Ben post I would describe as harsh or trolley.  I don't think there is any risk of being banned for either of us.  It's simple: treat others here as you would if you were at a party or a gathering in person.  We don't raise hell or insult others there, so... we refrain from it here.  Simple.

Personal insults are allowed on Extropolis however.  I think there are archives somewhere.  John, do you make Extropolis archives public?

If I am wrong on this, I do invite ExiMod to comment or clarify.

spike

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