From: Woody Long (ironanchorpress@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed Apr 26 2006 - 15:46:30 MDT
> [Original Message]
> From: Samantha Atkins <sjatkins@gmail.com>
[Meanwhile, a SETS could be maintaining the mega systems of earth
such as electric grids, nuclear power plants, weather systems,
transportation
systems, etc., plus actively advance all sciences, such as food
science, medical science, the space exploration sciences, etc.]
> No, it would not because the decision on what to use its abilities
> for would be left in the hands of the monkeys in your ideal outcome.
[The human values involved in these decisions are simple, constant, and
uncontroversial.]
> You have been paying attention as the current US administration
> undercuts and largely ignores the input of science haven't you? The
> human determination of relevant priorities and goals is extremely
> dangerous. Nothing is more controversial than when the facts are
> not in agreement with the desires of the alpha monkeys.
The SETS tasks I have listed above are simple settled values, except for
the decision of more or less. If we had a SETS today it could get started
without controversy or backlash - whose human values is it offending? As
far as more or less, I can't imagine for example a US TS being built, and
then the US "monkeys" sitting back and letting the TS be the controlling
ordainer of how their money is spent. It will ADVISE them on the benefits
and drawbacks of more or less, but not even the US "monkeys" are going to
give it the decision-making final word on how their money is spent, no
matter if its a SETS or a VPTS with values programs it wants to spend our
money on. I simply don't see the US people EVER, IN ANY WAY, agreeing to
this, or worse yet, being forced into things by a VPTS.
Thus I can only conclude that it will always be a democracy-driven
government decision, or as you put it, it will always be in the "hands of
the monkeys." How much more dangerous will it be with a pet VPTS for the
"angry young men" or "monkeys" to play with? I must conclude at this time
that it would probably be catastrophic, and so I stand by my support of a
SETS over a VPTS, as the safer of these two paradigms.
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