View Full Version : Should knowledge be suppressed to keep it from the wicked?
LanceGary
23-07-2010, 12:17
See the discussion (very relevant to programming) in:
http://www.vbamacros.blogspot.com/
"Why I stopped working on Bongard problems"
Lance
"Should knowledge be suppressed to keep it from the wicked?"
I think that just creates more hackers, actually. Like the prohibition era, it just made alcohol worth more. That's my opinion though.
LanceGary
23-07-2010, 22:11
"Should knowledge be suppressed to keep it from the wicked?"
I think that just creates more hackers, actually. Like the prohibition era, it just made alcohol worth more. That's my opinion though.
Yes. I don't think any technology can be suppressed for ever. Besides I don't we can always foresee the uses to which our ideas will be put. Gotlob Frege invented modern logic (and much modern maths and computer science depends on his work) but during his life he was given no promotion because his work was considered useless. (Actually, I think much the same is true of George Boole who created a simpler for of logical calculus).
Lance
Wicked people are more than just mean or evil. They usually are intelligent people. So suppression might give the illusion of safety but the wicked will find the means no matter what.
I thought of this last night while trying to sleep. If money is the root of all evil, then do away with money. So how would the world run.
Well, the thing is that everyone who works would work at what they enjoy doing and are capable to do. They get a contributors card. Those that don't want to work for what ever reason get another card, I had a good name when thinking about it, but it eludes me now.
Let us just pick food for now. So we have a grocery store open to all contributors. For the non contributors, they have a section in the stores. These sections would carry things that are getting near out of date or not being used up by the contributors. Nothing gets wasted and no one gets hungry. You get what you work for sort of.
The same with cars. Perhaps trucks, vans, sports cars etc are made. The vehicles not being used by contributors go to the noncontributors. So you still have a market system.
And for things no one wants to do, with free energy, we make the technology to do those errands, robots etc to do those tasks.
LanceGary
27-07-2010, 11:02
That's interesting.
My thought - for what it is worth - is that your cards - contributers and non-contributers - is in fact a form of money. Initially it would be money with two values, but knowing people it wouldn't be long before a great range of values were created (What about children of contributers? What about X who contribbutes so much more than Y?, Can I not bank this years contribution for use next year when I am going to be in hospital? etc). So I think within a very short time you would be back with money, just in a new currency.
Lance
Well another bad thing about a card is as you said is it is like money, someone would bully or kill another to get their card. So perhaps no cards, no differentiation. There are always going to be slackers and those that can't sit still and love to work. Perhaps with free energy and technology to do what no one wants to do, a system will emerge. What is funny as it is sad, we will probably still have crooks and those who wish to do ill towards others. And how would you resolve who owns truly rare items, even in Star Trek they went back and forth in dealing with the future in terms of money. Here are some fun quotes and items pointed out:
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Money
I would think money would be anything you would use for trade or exchange, and that is not good or bad by nature...just a piece of whatever.
I do think that the love of money is the root of all evil, not money itself.
It makes me kind of concerned...why do we trade with precious metals in mind? What makes them so precious if we never use them for anything but trading? Why not trade in food like you guys mentioned?