From: hal@finney.org
Date: Tue Mar 14 2000 - 11:35:21 MST
Dan Fabulich, <daniel.fabulich@yale.edu>, writes, regarding the Unabomber:
> Because, in an important sense, the beliefs which he shares with us ("the
> sun will rise tomorrow," "computers will get cheaper," "there have been
> some black dogs", etc.) were not the relevant reasons he did what he did.
> On the other hand, these other beliefs which he holds, and shares with
> Bill Joy, ARE an important part of the cause of his acting that way.
In fact, if you look at it from Bill Joy's perspective, he sees the
destruction of the human race if we don't get off our current path.
In that case, extremist bombing campaigns like Kaczynski's could be
considered completely justified, and for exactly the reason Kaczynski
gave, to save the world. Kaczynski's problem was not that he was wrong
or crazy, but that he was ineffective. A few random mail bombs are not
enough to change the course of history.
Joy is thinking much bigger. He wants to build a surveillance state that
would dwarf anything in history. He wants to derail economic growth and
mire billions of people in abject poverty. Next to Bill Joy, Kaczynski
was a piker. His paltry few victims pale in comparison to the excess
deaths that would follow from Joy's prescription.
The two men are not so different, after all.
Hal
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