Rousseau’s “The Social Contract” begins with the words:
MAN is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they. How did this change come about? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? That question I think I can answer.
I don’t think that any modern person on the left is as direct as that when it comes to freedom, but in European political thought the idea of the Social Contract is quite central.
Well, another consequence is that it would destroy the motivation for people to engage in productive work (if the benefits would just get redistributed) so you’d wind up with a bunch of equally starving people.
The idea is that in the end state people would be motivated to work as a way of self actualization and don’t need financial incentives to do work. Star Trek has characters who work without getting payed to do so.
The observation that today many people need money to be motivated to work doesn’t mean that will always be true in the future and that we shouldn’t work on moving society in that direction.
The idea of an end state doesn’t mean something that can be reached in 10 years a state that can take quite a while to reach.
MAN is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they. How did this change come about? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? That question I think I can answer.
Could you taboo what Rousseau means by “master” and “slave” in that quote. As is, to me it sounds like deep wisdom attempting to use said words in some metaphorical way that’s not at all well-defined. Also I don’t see what this has to do with the subject.
The idea is that in the end state people would be motivated to work as a way of self actualization and don’t need financial incentives to do work.
The problem is that the work that’s self-actualizing is not necessarily the same as the work that’s needed to keep society running. In other words, attempting to run society like this you’d wind up with a bunch of (mediocre) artists starving and suffering from dysentery because not enough people derive self-actualization from farming or maintaining the sewer system. Historically, many attempts by intellectuals to create planned communities fell into this problem.
Star Trek has characters who work without getting payed to do so.
Rousseau writes his central work to justify that men is everywhere in chains. Rousseau attempts to legitimize the Social Contract that takes away men’s natural freedom.
Rousseau later argues that man get’s new freedoms in the process, but he’s not shy in admitting that men loses his natural freedoms by being bound in the Social Contract.
MAN is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they. How did this change come about? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? That question I think I can answer.
Could you taboo what Rousseau means by “master” and “slave” in that quote.
The full text is readily available online. A “master” is someone with the power to tell others what to do and be obeyed; yet these masters themselves obey something above themselves (laws written and unwritten). Rousseau’s answer (SPOILER WARNING!!) is the title of his work. (To which the standard counter-argument is “show me my signature on this supposed contract”.)
A few more Rousseau quotes:
The social order is a sacred right which is the basis of all other rights.
...
All power comes from God, I admit; but so does all sickness: does that mean that we are forbidden to call in the doctor?
...
To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties. For him who renounces everything no indemnity is possible. Such a renunciation is incompatible with man’s nature; to remove all liberty from his will is to remove all morality from his acts.
He is arguing here against theories whereby sovereignty must consist of absolute power held by a single individual beyond any legitimate challenge, his subjects having no rights against him. For Rousseau, sovereignty is the coherent extrapolated volition of humanity—or in Rousseau’s words, “the exercise of the general will”. Rousseau’s sovereignty is still absolute and indivisible, but is not located in any individual.
One can cherry-pick Rousseau to multiple ends. Here’s something for HBDers:
Liberty, not being a fruit of all climates, is not within the reach of all peoples.
Libertarians may find something to agree with in this:
It is wrong therefore to wish to make political institutions so strong as to render it impossible to suspend their operation.
But to know what Rousseau thought, it is better to read his work.
He is arguing here against theories whereby sovereignty must consist of absolute power held by a single individual beyond any legitimate challenge, his subjects having no rights against him. For Rousseau, sovereignty is the coherent extrapolated volition of humanity—or in Rousseau’s words, “the exercise of the general will”. Rousseau’s sovereignty is still absolute and indivisible, but is not located in any individual.
Here is a decent debunking of the notion that modern society is based on a social contract. The basic argument is that if one attempts to explicitly right down the kind of contract these theories require, one winds up with a contract that no court would enforce between private parties.
More generally, Nick Szabo argues that the concept of sovereignty is itself totalitarian.
Here is a decent debunking of the notion that modern society is based on a social contract.
I agree with that.
More generally, Nick Szabo argues that the concept of sovereignty is itself totalitarian.
It certainly is. Where does that leave FAI? A superintelligent FAI, as envisaged by those who think it a desirable goal, will be a totalitarian absolute ruler imposing the CEVoH and will, to borrow Rousseau’s words, be “so strong as to render it impossible to suspend [its] operation.” Rather like the Super Happies’ plan for humanity. The only alternative to a superintelligent FAI is supposed to be a superintelligent UFAI.
I didn’t want to give an example of work done as a volunteer but an example of a futuristic society where people don’t work for money.
People in Star Trek work sometimes for patriotism, sometimes for gold-pressed latinum, but mostly toward whatever the plot says they need to be doing. I foresee problems with using narrative tension as a medium of exchange.
Rousseau’s “The Social Contract” begins with the words:
I don’t think that any modern person on the left is as direct as that when it comes to freedom, but in European political thought the idea of the Social Contract is quite central.
The idea is that in the end state people would be motivated to work as a way of self actualization and don’t need financial incentives to do work. Star Trek has characters who work without getting payed to do so.
The observation that today many people need money to be motivated to work doesn’t mean that will always be true in the future and that we shouldn’t work on moving society in that direction.
The idea of an end state doesn’t mean something that can be reached in 10 years a state that can take quite a while to reach.
Could you taboo what Rousseau means by “master” and “slave” in that quote. As is, to me it sounds like deep wisdom attempting to use said words in some metaphorical way that’s not at all well-defined. Also I don’t see what this has to do with the subject.
The problem is that the work that’s self-actualizing is not necessarily the same as the work that’s needed to keep society running. In other words, attempting to run society like this you’d wind up with a bunch of (mediocre) artists starving and suffering from dysentery because not enough people derive self-actualization from farming or maintaining the sewer system. Historically, many attempts by intellectuals to create planned communities fell into this problem.
Fictional evidence.
Rousseau writes his central work to justify that men is everywhere in chains. Rousseau attempts to legitimize the Social Contract that takes away men’s natural freedom.
Rousseau later argues that man get’s new freedoms in the process, but he’s not shy in admitting that men loses his natural freedoms by being bound in the Social Contract.
The full text is readily available online. A “master” is someone with the power to tell others what to do and be obeyed; yet these masters themselves obey something above themselves (laws written and unwritten). Rousseau’s answer (SPOILER WARNING!!) is the title of his work. (To which the standard counter-argument is “show me my signature on this supposed contract”.)
A few more Rousseau quotes:
...
...
He is arguing here against theories whereby sovereignty must consist of absolute power held by a single individual beyond any legitimate challenge, his subjects having no rights against him. For Rousseau, sovereignty is the coherent extrapolated volition of humanity—or in Rousseau’s words, “the exercise of the general will”. Rousseau’s sovereignty is still absolute and indivisible, but is not located in any individual.
One can cherry-pick Rousseau to multiple ends. Here’s something for HBDers:
Libertarians may find something to agree with in this:
But to know what Rousseau thought, it is better to read his work.
Here is a decent debunking of the notion that modern society is based on a social contract. The basic argument is that if one attempts to explicitly right down the kind of contract these theories require, one winds up with a contract that no court would enforce between private parties.
More generally, Nick Szabo argues that the concept of sovereignty is itself totalitarian.
I agree with that.
It certainly is. Where does that leave FAI? A superintelligent FAI, as envisaged by those who think it a desirable goal, will be a totalitarian absolute ruler imposing the CEVoH and will, to borrow Rousseau’s words, be “so strong as to render it impossible to suspend [its] operation.” Rather like the Super Happies’ plan for humanity. The only alternative to a superintelligent FAI is supposed to be a superintelligent UFAI.
The open source movement is a better example of voluntary word than star trek.
In this case I don’t think so.
I didn’t want to give an example of work done as a volunteer but an example of a futuristic society where people don’t work for money.
The Open Source movement also also a bunch of different people doing things for various reasons and incentives.
People in Star Trek work sometimes for patriotism, sometimes for gold-pressed latinum, but mostly toward whatever the plot says they need to be doing. I foresee problems with using narrative tension as a medium of exchange.