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I think the single biggest thing technologists could do is try to turn the US into a direct democracy. It's probably the only way out of the downward spiral we

by staunch 13y ago

I think the single biggest thing technologists could do is try to turn the US into a direct democracy. It's probably the only way out of the downward spiral we've found ourselves in.

tbrownaw 13y ago
Because direct democracy has worked so unbelievably well in the past, yes?
- staunch 13y ago
  No one has ever had the ability to do it like we could now.
  - tbrownaw 13y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City-state#Historical_examples_of_city-states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City-state#Historical_examples_...
- epsylon 13y ago
  It's a moot argument since we do not live in the past. The context has changed, technology has advanced, and we don't have to replicate strictly identically the structures of the past.
dragonsky 13y ago
And have the majority voting for what ever is pushed on Fox news? Direct democracy can only ever work when a significant majority of the population is well educated and engaged in the process of government. Anything else and they will vote for what every makes their immediate lives more palatable. It is very rare for somebody to make a decision that will make life more difficult in the short term in anticipation of the greater good in the long term. The whole point of representative democracy is that our representatives are supposed to be wiser than the majority of the public, and therefore be able to make the difficult decisions on behalf of the people, whilst understanding that the people themselves may not, due to self interest, be able to make those decisions themselves. Even in Ancient Greece, the bastion of all things democratic, only a very small part of the population were able to vote. You had to be a landholder with a fair amount of money. Sound familiar? I would love to live in a world where individuals were able to take the long view and vote based on the greater good. Unfortunately we are a long way from that. What we have, whilst suffering form increasing influence from well funded interests, is the best that the world has seen.

by staunch 13y ago

I think the single biggest thing technologists could do is try to turn the US into a direct democracy. It's probably the only way out of the downward spiral we've found ourselves in.

tbrownaw 13y ago

Because direct democracy has worked so unbelievably well in the past, yes?

staunch 13y ago
No one has ever had the ability to do it like we could now.
- tbrownaw 13y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City-state#Historical_examples_of_city-states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City-state#Historical_examples_...
epsylon 13y ago
It's a moot argument since we do not live in the past. The context has changed, technology has advanced, and we don't have to replicate strictly identically the structures of the past.

dragonsky 13y ago

And have the majority voting for what ever is pushed on Fox news? Direct democracy can only ever work when a significant majority of the population is well educated and engaged in the process of government. Anything else and they will vote for what every makes their immediate lives more palatable. It is very rare for somebody to make a decision that will make life more difficult in the short term in anticipation of the greater good in the long term. The whole point of representative democracy is that our representatives are supposed to be wiser than the majority of the public, and therefore be able to make the difficult decisions on behalf of the people, whilst understanding that the people themselves may not, due to self interest, be able to make those decisions themselves. Even in Ancient Greece, the bastion of all things democratic, only a very small part of the population were able to vote. You had to be a landholder with a fair amount of money. Sound familiar? I would love to live in a world where individuals were able to take the long view and vote based on the greater good. Unfortunately we are a long way from that. What we have, whilst suffering form increasing influence from well funded interests, is the best that the world has seen.