3 ms·
Baidu has replaced Google in China, and their censorship is just as bad, if not worse I disagree with you on that point, that's not far off from the sort of lo
by corin_ 15y ago
Baidu has replaced Google in China, and their censorship is just as bad, if not worse
I disagree with you on that point, that's not far off from the sort of logic that it's not immoral to be a contract killer because if you weren't doing it, someone else would be hired and the target would die either way. Your logic isn't quite as basic, but you could extend to "if I let someone else be hired for this murder they might do it in a less humane way".
And, obviously, don't think I'm comparing web censorship with murder on the moral scale, just comparing the justification for being a part of something you disagree with.
- Shenglong 15y agoThat's a moral-judgment argument that's landing on the side of a slippery slope. I suppose, the best way to think about this is to address it by adding to it: If the market only has room for one contract killer, and you decide to only take on 75% of the clients who come to you, would it be better for you to stay in the business or let someone else take your place? Obviously, you face a moral dilemma either way. You don't want to kill, but you can stop 25% of the people from dying, by continuing to kill. I see this as more the situation that Google was in, rather than a flat out replacement logic. Ultimately, I think which way we answer depends on how we see the world, and what moral principles we use to govern our own lives; I doubt everyone will agree on this.
- corin_ 15y agoTrue. Also worth remembering, however, is that you can't definitively say that their replacement is doing more/worse than Google would have done - after all, if Google weren't willing to walk away, that could ultimately mean complying with the Chinese government just as much as any other company - we just didn't see it get that bad because they did pull out before then.