[extropy-chat] Transparency vs. terrorism

[Eliezer S. Yudkowsky]

Russell Wallace wrote:
> 
> I agree completely. The more efficient law enforcement becomes, the
> greater the extent to which the state itself - even a democratic one -
> becomes a greater threat than those it is intended to protect against.

The vast majority of damage and expense caused by September 11th stemmed from 
the reaction to the terrorism, not the terrorism itself, a predictable 
autoimmune disorder which al Qaeda almost certainly counted upon.  Al Qaeda is 
tiny compared to the larger world; if they wanted to cause true damage to us, 
they had to make us do it to ourselves.  That was the purpose which the 
suicide attacks accomplished; the World Trade Center was a side issue.  If we 
had declined to react to the provocation, September 11th would have had far 
less impact than the Indian tsunami or the Darfur genocide, which cost many 
more lives, changed nothing, and are busily being forgotten.

-- 
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky                          http://singinst.org/
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence