Wei_Dai comments on Savulescu: "Genetically enhance humanity or face extinction" - Less Wrong

4 [deleted] 10 January 2010 12:26AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (193)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Wei_Dai 10 January 2010 08:04:03PM 3 points [-]

Libertarianism decreases some types of existential risk and bad outcomes in general, but increases other types (like UFAI). It also seems to lead to Robin Hanson's ultra-competitive, malthusian scenario, which many of us would consider to be a dystopia.

Have you already considered these objections, and still think that more libertarianism is desirable at this point? If so, how do you propose to substantially nudge the future in the direction of more libertarianism?

Comment author: billswift 11 January 2010 03:49:14PM -1 points [-]

I think you misunderstand Robin's scenario; if we survive, the Malthusian scenario is inevitable after some point.

Comment author: orthonormal 12 January 2010 02:26:38AM 1 point [-]

Robin outright dismisses the possibility of a singleton (AI, groupmind or political entity) farsighted enough to steer clear of Malthusian scenarios until the universe runs down. I tend to think this dismissal is mistaken, but I could be convinced that there is a rough trichotomy of human futures: extinction, singleton or burning the cosmic commons.

Comment author: billswift 12 January 2010 09:26:38AM 5 points [-]

Of the three possibilities for the far future, the Malthusian scenario is the least bad. A singleton would be worse, and extinction worse yet. That doesn't mean I favor a Malthusian result, just that the alternatives are worse.

Comment author: Wei_Dai 14 January 2010 09:25:45AM 1 point [-]

I don't agree that there are only three non-negligible possibilities, but putting that aside, why do you think the Malthusian scenario would be better than a singleton? (I believe even Robin thinks that a singleton, if benevolent, would be better than the Malthusian scenario.)

Comment author: CarlShulman 12 January 2010 02:38:11AM 1 point [-]

He says that a singleton is unlikely but not negligibly so.

Comment author: orthonormal 12 January 2010 04:59:02AM 0 points [-]

Ah, I see that you are right. Thanks.