Hopefully_Anonymous2 comments on Open Thread - Less Wrong

3 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 01 July 2007 07:38PM

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Comment author: Hopefully_Anonymous2 02 July 2007 12:17:12PM 0 points [-]

What's the point of freedom? Is it god-given? an illusion? is it utilitarian (for example to promote innovation and economic growth through market participation) within certain threshhold levels to the degree that it helps maximize our mutual odds of persistence? Personally, I lean at least towards the latter justification for promoting certain amounts of free agency for people in society. But I think it's a bit arbitrary that freedom can be curtailed to forestall death from a threat in one hour's time, or one day's time, or one week's time, but not in a few decade's time (as would be attempted with the compulsory medical trial participation example).