[Bulk] [extropy-chat] Bill Moyers' Comments - Global Environment Citizen Award

[Samantha Atkins]

On Jan 10, 2005, at 7:32 PM, Keith Henson wrote:

>
>> If, on either side of your chance of heart, you would subject them to 
>> a simulated Rapture, would they be on the "losing" or "winning" end 
>> of same?  :-)
>
> Hmm.  I thought "god's side" winning was part of the story.
>

What I was getting at is whether in the sim environment they would 
experience the milk and honey side of things or all the tribulations.  
The latter might be more educational.


>> I would be more tempted to run them through a sim where humanity 
>> destroys itself but before they die they understand utterly that 
>> their own erroneous beliefs and those of their siblings in spirit, 
>> were responsible and that their beliefs were in fact totally bogus.
>
> Not worth it.  Bad enough to give them want they claim to want.  I 
> suspect the operators would have to mess with their boredom threshold 
> to keep them from going mad after a simulated thousand years of 
> singing around a simulated thrown of God.
>

Yep.

>> No need for upload though. A vivid set of induced dreams should do 
>> the trick.
>
> I think having a bunch of them in the throws of induced rapture dreams 
> flailing around in reality isn't a good idea.  In fact, that's much 
> the problem we have now.
>

What I was thinking of would be strictly within their dreams.   I am 
speaking of vivid dreams here rather than psychotic breaks.  The point 
being that if the nature of their beliefs make them utterly immune to 
discourse or evidence or argument then only some other means can 
possibly get through to them just how horrid a world-view they have 
made allegiance with.   This is about the most moral way I can come up 
with at the moment of stopping the fundies of all kinds and religions 
from destroying us all.  It would be most moral to do so in a way that 
left some hope for them to be healed and able to turn the best of their 
ideals to work on the creation of a real "promised land".

- samantha