I’m not so sure. There is some value in trying to guess at the limits of the behavior open to the least moral, most hostile and least cooperative individual.
I wouldn’t buy children, force them to work half-starved in an open pit diamond mine at gunpoint but in the real world there are people who actually do that and countries that are hellish pits of civil war because that’s an economically viable option open to someone sufficiently unconcerned by human suffering.
Just as it can be hard to guess how horrible the solution found by a non-human process can be it can be hard to guess just how horrible the options genuinely amoral humans may choose can be if you never practice even thinking about the most horrible options open to someone willing to take them.
I wouldn’t engineer a deadly virus, release nerve gas on the subway, [ADDITIONAL OPTIONS REDACTED] or put carcinogens in the water supply but if I’m trying to think of options open to a hypothetical Worst Person In The World who’s aims might be served by such I don’t think it’s a good idea to just say “I refuse to think of such things because it might make me better at thinking of them”.
But as I said, I often fail to realize how thick and unimaginative many malicious people can be. There’s far more skinheads who’s first thought is going out and glassing someone than geeks who’ll actually think about it and making it easier for the skinhead to just google ideas likely isn’t a good idea.
I’m not so sure. There is some value in trying to guess at the limits of the behavior open to the least moral, most hostile and least cooperative individual.
I wouldn’t buy children, force them to work half-starved in an open pit diamond mine at gunpoint but in the real world there are people who actually do that and countries that are hellish pits of civil war because that’s an economically viable option open to someone sufficiently unconcerned by human suffering.
Just as it can be hard to guess how horrible the solution found by a non-human process can be it can be hard to guess just how horrible the options genuinely amoral humans may choose can be if you never practice even thinking about the most horrible options open to someone willing to take them.
I wouldn’t engineer a deadly virus, release nerve gas on the subway, [ADDITIONAL OPTIONS REDACTED] or put carcinogens in the water supply but if I’m trying to think of options open to a hypothetical Worst Person In The World who’s aims might be served by such I don’t think it’s a good idea to just say “I refuse to think of such things because it might make me better at thinking of them”.
But as I said, I often fail to realize how thick and unimaginative many malicious people can be. There’s far more skinheads who’s first thought is going out and glassing someone than geeks who’ll actually think about it and making it easier for the skinhead to just google ideas likely isn’t a good idea.