thomblake comments on SotW: Check Consequentialism - Less Wrong

38 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 29 March 2012 01:35AM

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Comment author: thomblake 29 March 2012 05:29:37PM 1 point [-]

They are a paramilitary organisation with government support.

This also applies to my paradigm of "pirate".

Comment author: Alicorn 29 March 2012 05:37:10PM *  1 point [-]

They are a paramilitary organisation with government support.

This also applies to my paradigm of "pirate".

You might be thinking of privateers.

Comment author: thomblake 29 March 2012 06:42:22PM 3 points [-]

Yes. There was a very blurry distinction between the two while England wanted to encourage piracy against France.

Comment author: wedrifid 29 March 2012 05:41:18PM -1 points [-]

This also applies to my paradigm of "pirate".

I don't think that word means what you think it means.

Comment author: thomblake 29 March 2012 07:00:48PM 5 points [-]

Pirates were often privateers, which fit that definition very well.

Furthermore, the overlap between piracy and warfare meant that many pirates served in paramilitary forces before, after, or during their pirate days. For an illustration, note this description of the Battle of New Orleans, including a prominent pirate acting as an irregular military advisor / commander, and many of his compatriots serving even in land-based artillery companies.