Re: Hate IRC? Was: Hate mail anyone?

From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Mon May 28 2001 - 23:28:35 MDT


Lee Corbin wrote:
>
> Samantha wrote
> >Jerry Mitchell wrote:
> >> I can see this coming from a channel like #hottub
> >> or #partyzone, but I get this response from the great
> >> intellectuals on the #philosophy channel? What do we
> >> do with all these crazy people!!!!?
>
> First, I assume that this is not a serious question.
> "We" don't do and aren't able to do anything to "them",
> one hopes.
>
> >Make sure they do not control the outcomes for all of us.
> >Give them room to be crazy and yet to learn and to change.
> >Keep them from ultimate destructiong.
>
> Yes.
>
> >Pop them into a super-VR come the Singularity where they can
> >work their kinks out?
>
> I presume that we as well as they will find ourselves in
> a sort of VR; but if you mean that "they" will be somehow
> sequestered, I cannot imagine it. You will have the same
> freedom then that you have now to simply not associate with
> them; they never bother me because I don't go asking for it.
>

Well, I think it will be far less likely that the types of
humans and formerly human beings will share enough commonality
to peacefully or even possibly inhabit the same area of space,
virtual or otherwise, post Singularity.

Many groups of people cannot have their cultural, social,
psychological and so on choices without some level of
segregation from those that choose differently, especially
radically enough differently.

One of the nice things about VR is there is a lot more room for
diversity.

> What about when one of "them" wants to contact one of
> "us"? One solution to unsolicited messages is for one
> to have a set, standard fee for that---even now, there
> wouldn't be a problem with spam or annoying phone calls
> if that were the case.
>

Things like fees aren't really the question first, are they? A
more immediate question is how one chooses or gets to know of
other possible spaces and choices and move from one to the
other.

 
> I used to think it quite useless years ago to hear people
> pronounce "well, we're all mentally ill". But from the
> perspective of an SI, it could well be true.

We are all mostly "mentally ill" in that most of us are busy
being run by programs that we do not see and that we have little
ability to control (as of yet). Most humans spend a lot of time
in pretty robotic and massively predictable routines.
Relatively few of us have much real awareness or real freedom or
choose to exercise it. Most of us are too busy "making a
living", "getting along", "not rocking the boat", "building up a
nest egg for 'some day' going out and doing what I really should
be / want to be doing" and so on, on and on it goes. Perhaps
mentally ill is a bit harsh but most of us definitely are not
really mentally healthy. Most of us have little understanding
of one another or ourselves, little ability to redefine our
understanding of ourself or each other and not even a lot of
awareness that this stuff is important.

What will determine the mental health of an SI?

- samantha



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