From: john grigg (starman125@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Mar 06 2000 - 02:01:45 MST
I wrote:
>I could see powerful gov't and
>corporate interests wanting to stop this level of prosperity and >personal
>freedom from ever happening, though.
Eliezer wrote:
Name three.
There are very, very few people out there who get up in the morning and say
to themselves: "Today, I will do my best to make the world a more miserable
place." I can see all kinds of powerful interests opposed to individual
changes of the type I predict, and powerful interests opposed to any sort of
massive change in the workplace, but without exception, they will *not* see
themselves as working to stop "prosperity" or "personal freedom".Of course,
I could be wrong.
(end)
Eliezer, I would say that there are people out there who get up in the
morning and with their morning coffee think, "I will do whatever it takes to
preserve my interests and the present power structure!". Even if they do
not see themselves as against prosperity and personal freedom for the
masses, they actually may be.
Of course, your point is well taken that the "powers that be" will most
likely be opposed to a nanotech transformation of society in the narrow
focus in which their individual authority and interest lies.
I would like to think there will not be an X-files like, "shadow conspiracy"
to pull the strings from behind the scenes! Again, I could see
"near-anything boxes" being owned and used only by licensed government and
corporate powers in the name of protection from accidents and terrorism.
This would be done in the name of the current trend in law enforcement that
infringes on personal liberties for "the common good." This would make it
that much harder to have the raw freedom to pursue one's interests by having
one's own box. By not having them directly in the public's hands, the
government and corporate sector are much better able to regulate things and
maintain to at least a certain extent the status quo.
sincerely,
John Grigg
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