If the idea is dangerous in the first place (which is very unlikely), it is only dangerous to people who understand it, because understanding it makes you vulnerable. The better you understand it and the more you think about it, the more vulnerable you become. In hindsight, I would prefer to never have read about the idea in question.
I don't think this is a big issue, considering the tiny probability that the scenario will ever occur, but I am glad that discussing it continues to be discouraged and would appreciate it if people stopped needlessly resurrecting it over and over again.
I would prefer to never have read about the idea in question.
If you people are this worried about reality, why don't you work to support creating a Paperclip maximizer? It would have a lot of fun doing what it wants to do and everyone else would quickly die. Nobody ever after would have to fear what could possible happen to them at some point.
If you people want to try to turn the universe into a better place, at whatever cost, then why do you worry or wish to not know about potential obstacles? Both is irrational.
The forbidden topic seems to be a danger...
Ideally, I'd like to save the world. One way to do that involves contributing academic research, which raises the question of what's the most effective way of doing that.
The traditional wisdom says if you want to do research, you should get a job in a university. But for the most part the system seems to be set up so that you first spend a long time working for someone else and research their ideas, after which you can lead your own group, but then most of your time will be spent on applying for grants and other administrative trivia rather than actually researching the interesting stuff. Also, in Finland at least, all professors need to also spend time doing teaching, so that's another time sink.
I suspect I would have more time to actually dedicate on research, and I could get doing it quicker, if I took a part-time job and did the research in my spare time. E.g. the recommended rates for a freelance journalist in Finland would allow me to spend a week each month doing work and three weeks doing research, of course assuming that I can pull off the freelance journalism part.
What (dis)advantages does this have compared to the traditional model?
Some advantages:
Some disadvantages:
EDIT: Note that while I certainly do appreciate comments specific to my situation, I posted this over at LW and not Discussion because I was hoping the discussion would also be useful for others who might be considering an academic path. So feel free to also provide commentary that's US-specific, say.