From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Tue Jun 11 2002 - 22:47:09 MDT
Mike Lorrey wrote:
> Samantha Atkins wrote:
>
>>sylvia m. wrote:
>>
>>>how about the old Fidonet philosophy of "everyone equally armed ot the
>>>teeth and no casualties"? doesn't violence take a different meaning in
>>>virtual space? bloodshed just becomes a mutable image, while mental
>>>cruelty or limitation becomes entirely devastating.
>>>
>>>
>>Personally I have never found "virtual space" violence any more
>>palatable than the physical space variety. I abhor both. I
>>don't believe it is good for people psychological to spend their
>>time fragging other people virtually. At least it doesn't
>>actually kill people. But when/if we upload, then what? Where
>>does reality end and virtuality begin?
>>
>
> But is it proper to produce policy based on personal neurosis? So
Is it proper to baldly claim my attitude is the result of
neurosis??
I did not say anything at all about policy. I do ask where the
virtuality ends and a different aspect of current or future
reality begins where such violence by really be as abhorrent as
in the "real" world today.
> violence makes you gag, and the fact that fictional violence produces
> the same result shows it's not a matter of actual people getting hurt,
> or actual pain being inflicted, it's just in your head. You also
It doesn't "make me gag". In the real world it is an incredible
waste of sentient beings and I deeply abhor it. In the virtual
world it sometimes appears to me (as I clarified elsewhere) to
be a relaxing of real space considerations in order to indulge
very primitive and potentially dangerous parts of ourselves.
The second also seems questionable and perhaps pernicious in at
least some circumstances.
> improperly assume that one side will always be killed in any match, and
> that wounds in virtuality will have the same impact and consequences as
> in reality.
>
I assumed no such things.
> If/when people upload, they will at least have the ability to keep a
> backup on hand before the start of any sparring. In such a scenario,
> regular engagement in violence can only improve each individual's
> survivability.
>
I disagree. Regular engagement in violence is likely to
increase each participants aggressive tendency and propensity to
solve problems by force. I do not agree that is a highly
survivable and certainly not optimal practice as we grow
increasing advanced and powerful. With great power comes great
responsibility as one becomes capable of increasingly greater
harm at the smallest lapse.
- samantha
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