[extropy-chat] Uses to which Space Could Be Put (was Space: The Final Constraint)

[Russell Wallace]

On 6/14/06, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at tsoft.com> wrote:
>
> In this discussion---which is primarily about *values* and about what
> one should do with one's space---one cannot easily make any of the
> above.


It's not obvious to me that everyone should do the same thing with their
space.

For example, some people on this list have expressed a fairly gung-ho desire
to ascend rapidly to superintelligence. I personally don't have an exact or
final answer to that, but I'm feeling inclined to stick closer to the human
norm (albeit with uploading if and when that becomes available).

Does that mean I'm right and everyone else should follow my path? Well, what
if there are concepts of profound truth and beauty that can only be fathomed
by a superintelligence, that would never be thought of if everyone went my
way?

This can be considered a larger scale version of individual differences:
I've never been into classical music, for example, but I suspect the world
is a richer place for having people who are. Similarly, I suspect the
universe as a whole will be a richer place for accomodating different paths.

(Heh, the above sounds like I'm trying to be touchy-feely and politically
correct... anyone who knows me can confirm that is _not_ my style :))

As for what argument to give people who want to turn the Earth into a nature
reserve once we no longer need it as a location for farms, mines and
factories: what I want is to not have to argue. The response I want to be
able to give is: "Cool, have fun with that. I'm off to the asteroid belt to
get some dead matter to turn into computronium. Bye."
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