From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Sun Jun 09 2002 - 14:33:28 MDT
On Sunday, June 9, 2002, at 02:50 pm, Hal Finney wrote:
> Harvey writes:
>> However, using
>> lawsuits to suppress competition in preference to trying to advance the
>> state of the art or compete fairly in the marketplace is unextropian.
>> This does not advance the state of the art. Extropians believe in the
>> free market and competition in the hopes that it will drive all parties
>> to excel. Trying to suppress competitors rather than improving one's
>> self is not extropian.
>
> This depends on what kinds of lawsuits we are talking about. What one
> person sees as an attempt to suppress competition, another sees as
> defending his rights.
I wasn't talking about rights. I was answering a question about whether
it was "extropian" or not. If the lawsuit is defending someone's right
to advance technology and make the world a better place, I would call it
extropian. If the lawsuit is to suppress technology and keep the status
quo, I would not call it extropian. You can't say all lawsuits are
extropian or all lawsuits are not extropian. You have to look at them
and see if they increase or decrease extropy.
> If you have such laws, then you should support lawsuits even when they
> are used to suppress competition. If someone has some property which
> is being infringed on by someone else, they have a choice: defend their
> property rights, or ignore the infringement and seek to compete more
> vigorously so that they can win despite the disadvantage they face.
> We cannot always say that the second alternative is superior.
You mistakenly assume that I don't support such laws. I was merely
commenting on whether some lawsuits are extropian or other lawsuits are
not. I support the law equally in all cases. If people own property,
they have the right to make un-extropian choices with it. I support
their right to do so. But I still call it un-extropian.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com>
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