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mattnewport comments on The Craigslist Revolution: a real-world application of torture vs. dust specks OR How I learned to stop worrying and create one billion dollars out of nothing - Less Wrong
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Comments (219)
I just had a fun idea: take this premise, and the demonstrated difficulty of improving Africa, and the idea that the development vs. likeliness-to-screw-everybody-over-with-WMDs curve would be an inverted U, and calculate the point at which it would be better to cut off all aid & begin bombing Africa into (or within) the Stone Age.
The version of this that I would put forward seriously is that the Westphalian concept of inviolable national sovereignty is a convenience to the rich and complacent inhabitants of successful nations, but a huge detriment to the inhabitants of failed states, condemning them to endless slavery at the hands of incompetent dictators who need fear no invasion as they weaken and starve their captive countries. Africa might benefit enormously from being conquered by almost anyone, including China.
Probably the best thing that could be done for the poor of the world would be to greatly relax or eliminate immigration restrictions in developed nations. Of course that would be a little too much caring for the vast majority of citizens in the developed world. Far easier to salve your conscience with the occasional donation to charity than to actually have to live near these poor people!
True, but only up to a point. If you were to move everyone into a developed country ASAP, the "memetic overload" can destroy the very institutions that make those countries successful.
Yes, I know this sounds suspicously simliar to something a lot of racists say, but it's still true: if you add 100 random mouthbreathers to a five-man successful Silicon Valley startup, you don't get a 2000% improvement in productivity and a 5-fold gain in wages for the newcomers. Rather, you destroy the operation.
Greatly relaxing or eliminating immigration restrictions wouldn't result in everyone moving from the developing world overnight. One of the main benefits of immigration in reducing poverty comes in the form of remittances back to family in the home country.
Now now; if you're going to be in Hanson mode, at least credit him when you're not being original: http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/12/microlending-fails.html
I'm not sure that Hanson was being original. Libertarian leaning economists have been making this argument for some time.
I wasn't claiming to be original but I wouldn't credit Robin Hanson as the primary influence on me on this issue. Maybe Kerry Howley or Will Wilkinson should have got the credit.