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by moffkalast 1164 days ago
Well there is some historical precedent for optimism I suppose, since this isn't the first time we've invented something that can easily get out of control with disastrous consequences.

There have been so many close calls and cases when we could've nuked each other to oblivion and yet by some miracle we're not only still here today, but for the most part it's had a positive impact with greater levels of peace and sovereignty compared to most of history. So maybe we have a tiny chance at a Star Trek utopia.
2 comments
JohnFen 1164 days ago
There is also historical precedent for pessimism. There have been numerous times that new tech has been released on an unprepared world and it has led to disaster.

So both optimism and pessimism are supportable positions. As would be expected when we're faced with an unknown future.

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m463 1164 days ago
> Well there is some historical precedent for optimism

I like the book "The Rational Optimist" by Matt Ridley

basically things have been getting better.

(personally I have my reservations about privacy, and "smart" devices)

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