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I think if the last 10 years have taught us anything, it's that preserving the past does nothing to impede the changing moral zeitgeist. More records simply mea

I think if the last 10 years have taught us anything, it's that preserving the past does nothing to impede the changing moral zeitgeist. More records simply mean more people to attack for holding an opinion that has simply gone out of fashion. If the past decade wasn't characterized by tribalism and moral hysteria I'd be more inclined to worry about stringent preservation. At this point, I'm not really comfortable with what we're preserving.

1000units 7y ago
Embrace humanity. It's not that nice, but pretending otherwise only puts you at a disadvantage for understanding and dealing with the world. Our history is an inseparable part of who we are, and it should not be forgotten.
- dev_dull 7y ago
  Time heals all wounds, except of course wounds preserved in digital formaldehyde.
asdff 7y ago
It's simple. Don't say ignorant things on the internet, especially when it's tied into your real life identity. Lots of people struggle with this simple rule, because they have a compulsion to share their own myopic opinion (usually the same viral opinion as everyone else in their echo chamber) and contribute to the noise. If I was a public figure I wouldn't be on any social media platform at all, at best it wastes your already limited and highly valuable time. That being said, there's a lot of valuable information on the internet that is absolutely worth preserving. Scrape off the layer of social media and the internet is still a place of learning and problem solving. I do my own repairs on my car and the amount of times I've found a well written photo essay on a particular fix in a random honda forum, only to find the linked pictures broken, is astounding and a shame to say the least.
- everdrive 7y ago
  Who gets to decide what's ignorant? What if I'm being sensible about what's ignorant, but I can't predict how society will feel in the future?
- dev_dull 7y ago
  > It's simple. Don't say ignorant things on the internet, especially when it's tied into your real life identity. Kind of like saying “People who go to prison just shouldn’t commit crimes.” I don’t believe in making a case equivalence here. Being publicly prosecuted has just as much to do with “who” you are as “what” you did. I’m personally not fine with this distinction.
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  James Burke, better known for his Connections series, also produced on called "The Day the Universe Changed". In it he explores how the changing understanding, and sometimes simply views of the world, humans' place in it, and what is right and wrong, change the Universe (or at least our perception of it) itself. One segment from the final episode featured on HN a few weeks ago. It references the burning of witches, in Scotland, from earlier in the same episode. Burke's point was that a set of beliefs which had once carried legal force no longer does. That route can run in reverse, and it's quite possible for beliefs, or actions, previously legally sanctioned (or at least not criminalised) to become otherwise. Prohibitions against ex post facto laws limit this in many jurisdictions, but changes in social mores are less forgiving. I've lived long enough to see some remarkable changes along several such lines, and have witnessed social and political upheavals elsewhere that are even more pronounced. There's the question of whether or not it's the fact of a durable record, or the abuse of power through that record, that is the real root of the problem. As Aesop noted, any excuse will do for a tyrant. But the persistent record does seem to pose certain problems. Particularly against a shifting set of judgements.
yeahitslikethat 7y ago
That's just it! We Should elect people who have a stronger moral code than it takes to be fashionable.
chessturk 7y ago
Though I bet I largely share your feelings, I feel like there is an interesting converse in terms of distant history looking back. Things like HP Lovecraft renouncing racism is only preserved because he wrote so many damn letters. It doesn't make the racist stuff he wrote less racist, but it allows a really clear view on how worldviews could change at the time. Perhaps the things we are storing will have historic or philosophical value. I miss real privacy though.
- everdrive 7y ago
  I think those are all fair points. I just wonder that now we have the same volume of content (if not quality) from many, many more people. I don't believe there's a lot of time and patience for those people, but the 'landmines' of their unpopular writing is accessible despite this.

1000units 7y ago

Embrace humanity. It's not that nice, but pretending otherwise only puts you at a disadvantage for understanding and dealing with the world. Our history is an inseparable part of who we are, and it should not be forgotten.

dev_dull 7y ago
Time heals all wounds, except of course wounds preserved in digital formaldehyde.

asdff 7y ago

It's simple. Don't say ignorant things on the internet, especially when it's tied into your real life identity. Lots of people struggle with this simple rule, because they have a compulsion to share their own myopic opinion (usually the same viral opinion as everyone else in their echo chamber) and contribute to the noise. If I was a public figure I wouldn't be on any social media platform at all, at best it wastes your already limited and highly valuable time. That being said, there's a lot of valuable information on the internet that is absolutely worth preserving. Scrape off the layer of social media and the internet is still a place of learning and problem solving. I do my own repairs on my car and the amount of times I've found a well written photo essay on a particular fix in a random honda forum, only to find the linked pictures broken, is astounding and a shame to say the least.

everdrive 7y ago
Who gets to decide what's ignorant? What if I'm being sensible about what's ignorant, but I can't predict how society will feel in the future?
dev_dull 7y ago
> It's simple. Don't say ignorant things on the internet, especially when it's tied into your real life identity. Kind of like saying “People who go to prison just shouldn’t commit crimes.” I don’t believe in making a case equivalence here. Being publicly prosecuted has just as much to do with “who” you are as “what” you did. I’m personally not fine with this distinction.
dredmorbius 7y ago
James Burke, better known for his Connections series, also produced on called "The Day the Universe Changed". In it he explores how the changing understanding, and sometimes simply views of the world, humans' place in it, and what is right and wrong, change the Universe (or at least our perception of it) itself. One segment from the final episode featured on HN a few weeks ago. It references the burning of witches, in Scotland, from earlier in the same episode. Burke's point was that a set of beliefs which had once carried legal force no longer does. That route can run in reverse, and it's quite possible for beliefs, or actions, previously legally sanctioned (or at least not criminalised) to become otherwise. Prohibitions against ex post facto laws limit this in many jurisdictions, but changes in social mores are less forgiving. I've lived long enough to see some remarkable changes along several such lines, and have witnessed social and political upheavals elsewhere that are even more pronounced. There's the question of whether or not it's the fact of a durable record, or the abuse of power through that record, that is the real root of the problem. As Aesop noted, any excuse will do for a tyrant. But the persistent record does seem to pose certain problems. Particularly against a shifting set of judgements.

yeahitslikethat 7y ago

That's just it! We Should elect people who have a stronger moral code than it takes to be fashionable.

chessturk 7y ago

Though I bet I largely share your feelings, I feel like there is an interesting converse in terms of distant history looking back. Things like HP Lovecraft renouncing racism is only preserved because he wrote so many damn letters. It doesn't make the racist stuff he wrote less racist, but it allows a really clear view on how worldviews could change at the time. Perhaps the things we are storing will have historic or philosophical value. I miss real privacy though.

everdrive 7y ago
I think those are all fair points. I just wonder that now we have the same volume of content (if not quality) from many, many more people. I don't believe there's a lot of time and patience for those people, but the 'landmines' of their unpopular writing is accessible despite this.