The Coming Authoritarianism.

sus

sus

Moderator
@luka I think it's super silly to not think that computers/Internet are going to completely change the world. Information transfer and storage has been improved by several orders of magnitude, and that's a hugely powerful thing. The transformation thus far is big but relatively minor compared to what's to come; it'll take some decades to see the transformation; let's not forget how slow the start of the Industrial Revolution was; but we're very close now to world-shattering transformation via the tech invented the past 50-odd years by "tech bros" in California.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
"Our new burrito app allows you to find a fully loaded burrito wherever you are in America. Download our new Burito app today amigos."
 
sus

sus

Moderator
The game and its reward function for players (money, influence, whatever) doesn't disappear just because some people abstain. Rather, people who are ethical enough to abstain are selected out, making the game less ethical. The correct thing to do if you're an ethical tech guy is to join the game rather than leave it. It's basic self-selection feedback loops
 
V

version

Well-known member
You can't go "Yeah, I'm doing the same thing as the bad ones, but inside I'm not like them". It doesn't matter. You're all doing the same thing.
 
sus

sus

Moderator
version said:
You can't go "Yeah, I'm doing the same thing as the bad ones, but inside I'm not like them". It doesn't matter. You're all doing the same thing.
Click to expand...

If your app goes out of business because you don't do data collection, then it doesn't matter. You're out of the game. By definition the only ones left in the game are the ones that do data collection
 
sus

sus

Moderator
It's like telling a caveman not to eat animals for food. Anyone who abstains from the practice is selected out. By definition all survivors (i.e. everyone who has a prominent company in the tech sphere) is doing the practice.
 
V

version

Well-known member
suspendedreason said:
If your app goes out of business because you don't do data collection, then it doesn't matter. You're out of the game. By definition the only ones left in the game are the ones that do data collection
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Yeah, and? Do something else. That's like saying everyone should take bribes because they're more likely to be reelected.
 
sus

sus

Moderator
Sure and that's a big problem in politics. Ethical actors don't wanna play the games, so they don't get into politics. As a result, all our politicians are trash. Exiting corrupt systems isn't actually the way to fix corrupt systems. The way to fix them is to change the incentive structure. The incentive structure is set by consumption patterns.
 
sus

sus

Moderator
Like I said, that's the kind of "non-systems approach to morality" that makes things worse rather than better. It makes you feel good to be "above it," to not be "complicit," but in the end the net effect is to worsen the world, not improve it
 
V

version

Well-known member
suspendedreason said:
It's like telling a caveman not to eat animals for food. Anyone who abstains from the practice is selected out. By definition all survivors (i.e. everyone who has a prominent company in the tech sphere) is doing the practice.
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Not really. Food is much more important to survival than working for a specific company.
 
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