[ExI] moral issues

[Jeff Davis]

On Sat, Dec 25, 2010 at 1:51 PM, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
>
> Hate to cite xkcd, but
>
>        http://xkcd.com/164/


The fellow in the cartoon seems to find himself ethically conflicted,
but I don't get it, and I don't buy it either.  He says:

"...As terrible as it sounds, the state of the world isn't really my
responsibility.  I'm just thrilled to get to watch. ..."

It ISN'T his responsibility -- or any of ours -- and it only sounds
terrible if you worry your peers will think badly of you if you don't
embrace their (guilt imposing) ideology with the same full-throated
hysteria.

I believe anthropogenic global warming is real, but not at all dire,
and that the hysteria, and the cultural polarization is entirely
political.  The sky is not falling.

For example, the map of the world that accompanied Gore's Inconvenient
Truth, with sea levels up 20-30 ft or whatever, seemed text book
nonsense to me.  If the "Oh my God, we're all doomed!" sea level rise
takes a hundred years, then -- Sheeeesh! -- you build levies.  It's
not rocket science.

I find the Wikileaks political drama -- technically-driven cultural
evolution --far more exciting than the back and forth silliness of the
politically engaged but technically clueless global warming partisans.

Anyway, you're the one person on the list, now that Eliezer, Bradbury,
and others have moved on, that I consider smarter than me, so make
your case.

Merry Christmas.

Best, Jeff Davis

     "The whole problem with the world is that fools
             and fanatics are always so certain of themselves,
                          and wiser people so full of doubts."
                                                  Bertrand Russell