4 ms·

Humanity never had a choice, I wonder what is the thought process of people that claim otherwise, like how did they get to that conclusion?

haswell 4y ago
Humanity always has a choice. The part where we rarely even pause to remember that a choice exists is the problem. Achieving AGI feels as consequential as learning to split the atom. Something else we regularly wish we had not done. The fact that we are running headlong towards potential catastrophe does not at any point prevent us from realizing this and taking a step back. I just hope we actually do.
- raincole 4y ago
  I'm really, really surprised that you implied "we" regularly wish we hadn't discovered nulcear. How isn't it clear that nukes are what stopped us from getting into WWIII? Especially after cold war and what happened in Ukraine? The benefit of nuclear energy, which is already tremendous, is neglectable compared to that.
  - nmeagent 4y ago
    > How isn't it clear that nukes are what stopped us from getting into WWIII? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_close_calls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_close_calls We've been lucky.
- wilsonnb3 4y ago
  > Achieving AGI feels as consequential as learning to split the atom. Something else we regularly wish we had not done. Who is wishing we didn't know how to split an atom? Nuclear power is great and nuclear deterrence is a main reason that we have yet to see a WW3.
- avereveard 4y ago
  this yet doesn't answer the question. why do you think humanity has a choice? how would humanity express that choice? jailing everone for thought crimes? even for the actions that humanity collectively found aborrhent you don't take action before the crime. note I'm not dissing you because I do share the feeling that thing will be out of control real fast before getting better, but I just don't know how it can be otherwise. I'd say that we need to cross the moat as fast as possible, not pretend it's not there.
  - haswell 4y ago
    I’m not ignoring the history here. And based on that history I don’t doubt that we will continue to proceed headlong for awhile. But I’m pretty convinced that humanity’s survival will eventually depend on it figuring out how not to pursue certain avenues of research/advancement. I don’t think this is overstating the future risks we will face. And for all of the value that nuclear energy does provide, it remains one of the most tightly controlled technological capabilities for good reason.
  - lm28469 4y ago
    > this yet doesn't answer the question. why do you think humanity has a choice? how would humanity express that choice? jailing everone for thought crimes? We could enslave x% of the population and use them as organ donors, we don't We could use prisoners as free labor, we don't (in most of the world at least) We used to send kids to work in mines, we don't anymore We could reduce working hours and enjoy the increased of productivity per worker of the last 50+ years to retire early, we don't We make a lot of choices, all the time. Saying humanity doesn't make choices is just accepting other people choices. If you think "everything new had to happen" and if "everything that is had to happen" then yes, we don't chose anything
cwkoss 4y ago
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haswell 4y ago

Humanity always has a choice. The part where we rarely even pause to remember that a choice exists is the problem. Achieving AGI feels as consequential as learning to split the atom. Something else we regularly wish we had not done. The fact that we are running headlong towards potential catastrophe does not at any point prevent us from realizing this and taking a step back. I just hope we actually do.

raincole 4y ago
I'm really, really surprised that you implied "we" regularly wish we hadn't discovered nulcear. How isn't it clear that nukes are what stopped us from getting into WWIII? Especially after cold war and what happened in Ukraine? The benefit of nuclear energy, which is already tremendous, is neglectable compared to that.
- nmeagent 4y ago
  > How isn't it clear that nukes are what stopped us from getting into WWIII? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_close_calls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_close_calls We've been lucky.
wilsonnb3 4y ago
> Achieving AGI feels as consequential as learning to split the atom. Something else we regularly wish we had not done. Who is wishing we didn't know how to split an atom? Nuclear power is great and nuclear deterrence is a main reason that we have yet to see a WW3.
avereveard 4y ago
this yet doesn't answer the question. why do you think humanity has a choice? how would humanity express that choice? jailing everone for thought crimes? even for the actions that humanity collectively found aborrhent you don't take action before the crime. note I'm not dissing you because I do share the feeling that thing will be out of control real fast before getting better, but I just don't know how it can be otherwise. I'd say that we need to cross the moat as fast as possible, not pretend it's not there.
- haswell 4y ago
  I’m not ignoring the history here. And based on that history I don’t doubt that we will continue to proceed headlong for awhile. But I’m pretty convinced that humanity’s survival will eventually depend on it figuring out how not to pursue certain avenues of research/advancement. I don’t think this is overstating the future risks we will face. And for all of the value that nuclear energy does provide, it remains one of the most tightly controlled technological capabilities for good reason.
- lm28469 4y ago
  > this yet doesn't answer the question. why do you think humanity has a choice? how would humanity express that choice? jailing everone for thought crimes? We could enslave x% of the population and use them as organ donors, we don't We could use prisoners as free labor, we don't (in most of the world at least) We used to send kids to work in mines, we don't anymore We could reduce working hours and enjoy the increased of productivity per worker of the last 50+ years to retire early, we don't We make a lot of choices, all the time. Saying humanity doesn't make choices is just accepting other people choices. If you think "everything new had to happen" and if "everything that is had to happen" then yes, we don't chose anything

cwkoss 4y ago

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