Vladimir_Nesov comments on This Failing Earth - Less Wrong

19 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 24 May 2009 04:09PM

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 01 June 2009 12:34:35PM *  0 points [-]

Maybe on the successful Earths, mass genocide is acceptable in the case that the country involved is an obvious failure, such as north Korea.

This is a confusion of terms: "acceptable" is a cost-benefit calculation, and the cost of genocide is determined by human nature, by how much we value lives, independent among the Earths in this construction. If a certain variant of Earth considers genocide acceptable, it points to an epic failure of rationality (possibly due to something along the lines of scope insensitivity), and so can't be "successful".

Comment deleted 01 June 2009 01:00:13PM [-]
Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 01 June 2009 03:16:24PM 0 points [-]

I bet there is a third option, especially if you plan for disaster in advance.

Comment author: MrHen 01 June 2009 01:55:37PM *  0 points [-]

Why are you jumping to genocide instead of just killing the people making the evil virus? What do the people have to do with the failed state?

(Edit) Oh, I hadn't travelled far enough up the tree to see CronoDAS's post. Still, a well targeted mass-destruction seems simpler than killing everyone.