newerspeak comments on 9/11 as mindkiller - Less Wrong

12 Post author: NancyLebovitz 12 September 2011 05:44PM

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Comment author: newerspeak 13 September 2011 08:32:30PM 1 point [-]

The technologies that were developed for the war are indeed impressive, but what of the technologies that would have been developed had WWII not occurred? How would we know if the seen outweigh the unseen in this case?

It's impossible to prove that WWII did not prevent the development of arbitrarily wonderful technology.

It is also impossible to prove that the Great Depression would have ended in the absence of an economic event like WWII.

Comment author: Jayson_Virissimo 14 September 2011 02:12:27AM *  1 point [-]

It's impossible to prove that WWII did not prevent the development of arbitrarily wonderful technology.

It is also impossible to prove that the Great Depression would have ended in the absence of an economic event like WWII.

I'm not asking for proof; I'm asking for evidence. Proof is way too high a standard for almost anything outside of logic or mathematics.

Comment author: newerspeak 15 September 2011 05:18:44PM 1 point [-]

We're talking about what might have happened if WWII didn't get fought. No reasonable person would demand mathematical precision under those circumstances, and you're assuming I've done just that.

This kind of pedantry makes it feel like work to talk to you any further.

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