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> Turns out, most people want prosperity and the only reason they actually want freedom is because they're afraid lack of freedom blocks their attempts at prosp

> Turns out, most people want prosperity and the only reason they actually want freedom is because they're afraid lack of freedom blocks their attempts at prosperity. Because we are exploring an infinite problem space, there is no algorithmic solution to the question of prosperity. People who forgo freedom essentially are subjecting themselves to someone else's idea of prosperity, and those who want to keep their freedoms are the ones that don't believe anyone else's exploration to find prosperity can necessarily be better than theirs. > The internet doesn't (yet) actually interfere with freedom in this sense But it does. Tremendous human potential is already being wasted in the name of showing ads to eyeballs; from PhDs who run the big data experiments, to the general public that waste their energy on outrage and unintegrable squabbles. Our collective intelligence suffers for this, we are less able to make sense of things as natural as pandemics despite the increased connectivity, and hopelessly stuck in argument for more complicated things. It tremendously and collectively blocks out a lot of prosperity, it just does in a way that doesn't show up on quarterly earnings.

mjburgess 6y ago
Well advertisement is the basis on which many services can be offered... it isn't clear that a small number of PhDs/etc. being employed in (a mostly automated) discipline is therefore "a waste". How many of these wasted lives have, for example, enabled all of the youtube creators to have careers? > who forgo freedom essentially are subjecting themselves to someone else's idea of prosperity, Yes and no. The problem space may be infinite, but human nature isnt; nor is the capacity of any given society to provide prosperity. At some point your parents have to decide what bets to make on how you can reconsile your nature with the potential opportunities on offer (eg., to encourage sports, music, academic study, etc.). And when parenting subsides you likewise have to reflect and make the same sorts of decisions. Each such decision is a foreclosing of freedom in your sense: ie., it throws away much of the problem space. Freedom is the currency of life, it's not there to be amassessed for its own sake. Happiness/prosperity/etc. can only be obtained by spending it.
tomp 6y ago
> algorithmic solution to the question of prosperity There kind-of is. Food, water (and air, I guess), housing, energy, protection from violence, sex. Only the last one, where human needs transform for physiological to psychological, lacks an algorithmic solution - and all further needs, like love, meaningful work, life purpose etc., but there's a reason we call these "first world problems". Also, as much as I like to diss it, religion has pretty good answers for these needs as well. Maybe the reason I dismiss religion is, that I can fulfill these needs myself...

mjburgess 6y ago

Well advertisement is the basis on which many services can be offered... it isn't clear that a small number of PhDs/etc. being employed in (a mostly automated) discipline is therefore "a waste". How many of these wasted lives have, for example, enabled all of the youtube creators to have careers? > who forgo freedom essentially are subjecting themselves to someone else's idea of prosperity, Yes and no. The problem space may be infinite, but human nature isnt; nor is the capacity of any given society to provide prosperity. At some point your parents have to decide what bets to make on how you can reconsile your nature with the potential opportunities on offer (eg., to encourage sports, music, academic study, etc.). And when parenting subsides you likewise have to reflect and make the same sorts of decisions. Each such decision is a foreclosing of freedom in your sense: ie., it throws away much of the problem space. Freedom is the currency of life, it's not there to be amassessed for its own sake. Happiness/prosperity/etc. can only be obtained by spending it.

tomp 6y ago

> algorithmic solution to the question of prosperity There kind-of is. Food, water (and air, I guess), housing, energy, protection from violence, sex. Only the last one, where human needs transform for physiological to psychological, lacks an algorithmic solution - and all further needs, like love, meaningful work, life purpose etc., but there's a reason we call these "first world problems". Also, as much as I like to diss it, religion has pretty good answers for these needs as well. Maybe the reason I dismiss religion is, that I can fulfill these needs myself...