asciilifeform comments on Intelligence enhancement as existential risk mitigation - Less Wrong

17 [deleted] 15 June 2009 07:35PM

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Comment author: taw 15 June 2009 08:19:02PM 0 points [-]

if we could improve the intelligence of the average voter by 10 IQ points, imagine how much saner the political process would look

It's highly non-obvious that it would have significant effects. Political process is imperfect but very pragmatic - what makes a lot of sense as there's only as much good an improved political process can do, and breaking it can cause horrible suffering. So current approach of gradual tweaks is a very safe alternative, even if it offends people's idealistic sensibilities.

Comment author: asciilifeform 15 June 2009 09:23:56PM -1 points [-]

It's highly non-obvious that it would have significant effects

The effects may well be profound if sufficiently increased intelligence will produce changes in an individual's values and goal system, as I suspect it might.

At the risk of "argument from fictional evidence", I would like to bring up Poul Anderson's Brain Wave, an exploration of this idea (among others.)