From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Wed Sep 26 2001 - 21:40:33 MDT
> Avoid war if at all possible, win it otherwise. spike
This answers the question accurately and concisely. It's not the best answer
nor the wittiest answer nor the most incisive answer. It's simply The Answer
to the question, and no one can improve it, but to emphasize it and to bring
attention to the fact that it is indeed the answer, I'll go on about why it's
The answer. Consonant to the way 3 is the answer to the question, "what's the
square root of 9," so "Avoid war if at all possible, win it otherwise" is the
answer to the question, What is the Extropian answer to war?
There are good wars and bad wars; there are big wars and little wars; there
are total wars and tribal wars; there are culture wars and economic wars;
there are species wars and technological wars... There are all kinds of wars.
There are extropic wars and entropic ones too. Promoting spontaneous order in
the face of what appears to be senseless destruction presents a challenge to
brains infected with memes of politics and religion. But to the stalwart
extropian, it comes down to successful avoidance or decisive victory, pure and
clean. Thanks, spike.
--- --- --- --- ---
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, Cyc, Eliza, cryonics, individual
uniqueness, ego, human values, scientific relinquishment
We won't move into a better future until we debunk religiosity, the most
regressive force now operating in society.
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