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> We have a no refund policy as part of our terms and conditions, so we are unable to reimburse you for your purchase. But they can go ahead with multi-100k pe

> We have a no refund policy as part of our terms and conditions, so we are unable to reimburse you for your purchase. But they can go ahead with multi-100k person event in the midst of a pandemic, knowing that doing so carries a credible risk of thousands of deaths (or even creating an outbreak throughout Texas and surrounding states). This is deeply, deeply disappointing, considering the power, influence and connections they have.

foogazi 7y ago
> But they can go ahead with multi-100k person event in the midst of a pandemic, knowing that doing so carries a credible risk of thousands of deaths (or even creating an outbreak throughout Texas and surrounding states). You don’t have to go
- detaro 7y ago
  Given the last part the text you quoted: Austin residents don't have to go where?
SilasX 7y ago
Maybe the issue is that conferences aren't assigned any penalty for helping spread a virus, which misaligns incentives? Then again, it could be something that's hard to get right, where any reasonable assignment of liability would make it impossible to hold a conference -- I don't know. Edit: To clarify, I'm just suggesting a possible cause for misaligned incentives; I also added that holding them liable isn't necessarily a good solution either.
- AlchemistCamp 7y ago
  I'm inclined to agree. Incentives matter! It's still deeply disappointing (to me) that the organizers have so few internal incentives to put lives ahead of profits. The entire value of an ethical framework is in the times when following is not what's most personally beneficial in the short term.
  - SilasX 7y ago
    True, but at this scale, I expect to not to have to depend on the benevolence of conference organizers -- there needs to be a framework so that they don't have to make that choice. To quote Deus Ex: Human Revolution: "I managed to hang on to my humanity -- but the temptation to ignore it was always there. It's that temptation that so worries Taggart. He's not afraid of freedom. He's afraid of the chaos that erupts when individuals have nothing but morality to constrain them."
    - AlchemistCamp 7y ago
      > True, but at this scale, I expect to not Why is that a "but" rather than an "and"? I'm disappointed in the organizers and would like to see better incentives.
      - SilasX 7y ago
        Because you were phrasing it as a problem that ethical frameworks rather than laws solve.
        AlchemistCamp 7y ago
        That isn't true. At no point did I say or even imply laws weren't required. In fact, I immediately agreed with you! Laws and ethical frameworks are synergistic in well-functioning systems.
        SilasX 7y ago
        I know that's what you may have felt in your head, I'm just talking about what your comment suggested, even if wasn't directly advocated. You mention ethical codes as filling in a gap here (where there the financial incentives work against you), and my point that it's not really effective for this scale (e.g. the level of coordination for the evil to be avoided). If you didn't mean or realize that implication, fine, I'm just speaking to how it comes off.
- finnthehuman 7y ago
  > Maybe the issue is that conferences aren't assigned any penalty for helping spread a virus Darn that right of free association.
ukd1 7y ago
Using this argument, airlines should also shut down all flights - they're transporting more than this number, all over, with zero checks.

foogazi 7y ago

> But they can go ahead with multi-100k person event in the midst of a pandemic, knowing that doing so carries a credible risk of thousands of deaths (or even creating an outbreak throughout Texas and surrounding states). You don’t have to go

detaro 7y ago
Given the last part the text you quoted: Austin residents don't have to go where?

SilasX 7y ago

Maybe the issue is that conferences aren't assigned any penalty for helping spread a virus, which misaligns incentives? Then again, it could be something that's hard to get right, where any reasonable assignment of liability would make it impossible to hold a conference -- I don't know. Edit: To clarify, I'm just suggesting a possible cause for misaligned incentives; I also added that holding them liable isn't necessarily a good solution either.

AlchemistCamp 7y ago
I'm inclined to agree. Incentives matter! It's still deeply disappointing (to me) that the organizers have so few internal incentives to put lives ahead of profits. The entire value of an ethical framework is in the times when following is not what's most personally beneficial in the short term.
- SilasX 7y ago
  True, but at this scale, I expect to not to have to depend on the benevolence of conference organizers -- there needs to be a framework so that they don't have to make that choice. To quote Deus Ex: Human Revolution: "I managed to hang on to my humanity -- but the temptation to ignore it was always there. It's that temptation that so worries Taggart. He's not afraid of freedom. He's afraid of the chaos that erupts when individuals have nothing but morality to constrain them."
  - AlchemistCamp 7y ago
    > True, but at this scale, I expect to not Why is that a "but" rather than an "and"? I'm disappointed in the organizers and would like to see better incentives.
    - SilasX 7y ago
      Because you were phrasing it as a problem that ethical frameworks rather than laws solve.
      - AlchemistCamp 7y ago
        That isn't true. At no point did I say or even imply laws weren't required. In fact, I immediately agreed with you! Laws and ethical frameworks are synergistic in well-functioning systems.
        SilasX 7y ago
        I know that's what you may have felt in your head, I'm just talking about what your comment suggested, even if wasn't directly advocated. You mention ethical codes as filling in a gap here (where there the financial incentives work against you), and my point that it's not really effective for this scale (e.g. the level of coordination for the evil to be avoided). If you didn't mean or realize that implication, fine, I'm just speaking to how it comes off.
finnthehuman 7y ago
> Maybe the issue is that conferences aren't assigned any penalty for helping spread a virus Darn that right of free association.

ukd1 7y ago

Using this argument, airlines should also shut down all flights - they're transporting more than this number, all over, with zero checks.