JoshuaZ comments on Extraterrestrial paperclip maximizers - Less Wrong

3 Post author: multifoliaterose 08 August 2010 08:35PM

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Comment author: JoshuaZ 09 August 2010 02:26:14AM 3 points [-]

Mineral concentrations and the potential convenience of moderate gravity spring to mind as factors.

Gravity might not be something they actually want since gravity means you have gravity wells which you need to get out of.

Comment author: wedrifid 09 August 2010 02:44:53AM 3 points [-]

Gravity makes it rather a lot easier to harvest things that are found in a gaseous or liquid form (at temperatures to which the source is ever exposed.)

Comment author: JoshuaZ 09 August 2010 02:49:30AM 1 point [-]

Sure, gravity has both advantages and disadvantages and how much gravity matters a lot. If I had to make a naive guess I'd say that enough gravity to get most stuff to stick around but weak enough to allow easy escape would likely be ideal for most purposes, so a range of around Earth to Mars (maybe slightly lower) would be ideal, but that's highly speculative.

Comment author: wedrifid 09 August 2010 12:34:28PM 1 point [-]

I'd say that enough gravity to get most stuff to stick around but weak enough to allow easy escape would likely be ideal for most purposes, so a range of around Earth to Mars (maybe slightly lower) would be ideal

It would seem to depend on which resource was most desired.

My speculation is similar to yours. I can think of all sorts of reasons for and against mining earth before asteroids but for our purposes we don't really need to know. "All else being equal" instead of "no reason for any civilisation ever" conveys the desired message without confounding technicalities.