PhilGoetz comments on Only humans can have human values - Less Wrong

34 Post author: PhilGoetz 26 April 2010 06:57PM

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Comment author: Academian 26 April 2010 10:06:09PM *  -2 points [-]

This seems implausible, because fictional Green utopias are almost always technical civilizations.

Not my downvote either, but I'm really shocked... it's simply not okay to quote fictional worlds as evidence. Sure there's lots of evidence that technology can help the environment, but fiction isn't it.

Not okay.

ETA: Whoah, okay, not only did I misunderstand what "this" referred to, but at least four other people instantly didn't:

"The utopian fiction produced by a community is valid evidence regarding the ideals of that community."

Gladly, I was shocked only by own ignorance!

Comment author: PhilGoetz 26 April 2010 10:18:17PM 1 point [-]

It's okay to quote them as evidence of what a group of people want or believe, if they're popular with that group. Green utopias should be correlated with the wishes of the Greens.