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TheOtherDave comments on Not Taking Over the World - Less Wrong
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Thanks for explaining!
I didn't mean to split hairs at all. I'm surprised that so many here seem to take it for granted that, if one had unlimited power, one would choose to let other people remain having some say, and some autonomy. If I would have to listen to anybody else in order to be able to make the best possible decision about what to do with the world, this would mean I would have less than unlimited power. Someone who has unlimited power will always do the right thing, by nature.
And besides:
Suppose I'd have less than unlimited power but still "rather complete" power over every human being, and suppose I'd create what would be a "utopia" only to some, but without changing anybody's mind against their will, and suppose some people would then hate me for having created that "utopia". Then why would they hate me? Because they would be unhappy. If I'd simply make them constantly happy by design - I wouldn't even have to make them intellectually approve of my utopia to do that - they wouldn't hate me, because a happy person doesn't hate.
Therefore, even in a scenario where I had not only "taken over the world", but where I would also be seen as having taken over the world, nobody would still hate me.
This is certainly true. If you have sufficient power, and if my existing values, preferences, beliefs, expectations, etc. are of little or no value to you, but my approval is, then you can choose to override my existing values, preferences, beliefs, expectations, etc. and replace them with whatever values, preferences, beliefs, expectations, etc. would cause me to approve of whatever it is you've done, and that achieves your goals.