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Wei_Dai comments on Non-Malthusian Scenarios - Less Wrong
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A "world government" and "unlimited growth" I can understand.
However:
Memes are not really a solution to Malthus's dilemma. They are just a different type of substrate for inheritance. The world filling with memes might indeed prevent the world from filling up with DNA - but then you have the exact same Malthusian problem all over again with the new medium of inheritance.
The "Disease or Warfare" scenario apparently retains the essential undesirable element of Malthus's scenario of resource limitation - namely the failure of much of the population to survive to reproduce. The standard of living for those that remain could be high, though.
But memes are not morally relevant entities. Who cares if they suffer from the Malthusian problem, as long as human beings can have a high standard of living? (I'm assuming a non-upload scenario here, in case there's any confusion about that.)
Yes, that was the point.
I would agree that some agents could improve their standard of living - even if resources are limited - by making use of an army of slaves, which they don't care about the welfare of.
I don't think that DNA has a monopoly on moral relevance, though. The idea that the inheritance medium is of significant moral import will probably be derided in the future as a kind of prejudice.
Well, memes might care :-)
By the way, is there such a thing as a meta-meme?