People talk a lot about tech bros inventing things that already existed, but worse, but I've shockingly never seen anyone bring up Roko's Basilisk as a tech bro inventing God, but worse.
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I will stare people down and say that this is perfect evidence that yes, tech bros have the same delusional damages as the historical people who lead to some of the worst theology in existence…
… but I have trouble getting super worked up about it when “Roko’s Basilisk is fine actually so long as it’s old enough. In fact, someone is completely allowed to argue that an omnibenevolent being would do it and you’re not allowed to do much as laugh.” is a totally mainstream belief.
I mean, sure. But that's kinda the thing, right? It's why Scientology is totally baffling, it's not OLD enough that people *should* be fooled this time, but...
There was a belief among the atheist movement - a messianic belief - that these things only clung to existence because they were taught to people at the same age as Santa Claus, that if we could just break the chain once then we would break it for all time.
Turns out that's not the case. People like being told that everyone who disagrees with them is going to be tortured forever. And if you leave them alone in a room long enough doing philosophy, they'll come up with new reasons that everyone who disagrees with them is going to be tortured.
We’re more educated, we have more technology, and we have more experience at our hands, but the same incentives that drove humans to create theology in the first place still drives us.
Don’t know what to say besides “guess people want to hear that people they disagree with get tortured.”
The best part of Roko's Beastie wasn't the original post - it was the "we have to delete this, messily prevent discussions of this, and not taint our prophesized future Omnissiah" reactions led by Eliezer and other leaders of that community.
Strongly believe El*n and his cronies cling to their wealth just because they need to invent Williams' Otherland before they die and all this Roko's Basilisk/Effective Altruism trash is just a sad attempt to explain why they personally deserve to be the first deathless.
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Don’t know what to say besides “guess people want to hear that people they disagree with get tortured.”
People arguing there's no price too high to pay to crack AGI, since it will change everything, apparently.