4 ms·

It's hard not to throw your hands up in the air and say "Well, if it turns out there's a black ball then I guess humanity just wasn't meant to make it" when the

It's hard not to throw your hands up in the air and say "Well, if it turns out there's a black ball then I guess humanity just wasn't meant to make it" when the only realistic defense against the apocalyptic risidual is a as-yet hypothetical totally effective panopticon surveillance. Moreover, as the essay says; collective action problems have thusfar been total shitshows, even though the stakes are crazy high. Yeah, the article says that so far humanity's approach has just been "hope there isn't a black ball" and we know that hoping isn't a tactic; but the alternative (global collaboration and perfect adherence) seems impossible even in the ideal. So, yeah. My personal tactic has been "live a good life while you can, pitching in where you can". Humanity really needs an "Arrival" scenario to get our shit together before a black ball annihilates us.

sdoering 6y ago
> global collaboration and perfect adherence i don't think the world needs perfect adherence. What keeps blowing my mind so many years after it happened is still what happened to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). I still try to understand (I was too young back than) why the world (more or less) united in the quest after Reagan and Thatcher took up the cause. For me it still shows it is possible. But sadly I fear it became way less likely.
kiliantics 6y ago
The problem is not that we need global collaboration and perfect adherence. The problem is that right now we have global collaboration and adherence to the profit motive. However, this is primarily only due to the efforts of a minority and a complicity of the majority. It is true that the collective action problem is difficult, but we are much likelier to succeed in it if more people decided it was attainable rather than literally just hoping in aliens.
- peterxpark 6y ago
  thank you, this is what i wish i wrote.

sdoering 6y ago

> global collaboration and perfect adherence i don't think the world needs perfect adherence. What keeps blowing my mind so many years after it happened is still what happened to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). I still try to understand (I was too young back than) why the world (more or less) united in the quest after Reagan and Thatcher took up the cause. For me it still shows it is possible. But sadly I fear it became way less likely.

kiliantics 6y ago

The problem is not that we need global collaboration and perfect adherence. The problem is that right now we have global collaboration and adherence to the profit motive. However, this is primarily only due to the efforts of a minority and a complicity of the majority. It is true that the collective action problem is difficult, but we are much likelier to succeed in it if more people decided it was attainable rather than literally just hoping in aliens.

peterxpark 6y ago
thank you, this is what i wish i wrote.