Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Friday, July 08, 2011

Captain, Thar Be FAILS Here!

I was perplexed to find the volume of readership rising quite suddenly here in my dusty little cul-de-sac, and realized that Michael Anissimov was directing his singularitarian crew to a piece of mine from well over a year ago. Anybody who reads even a little of what I write there or elsewhere will glean quickly enough what I think of futurology, especially superlative futurology of the sort Michael dabbles in, but I always enjoy a good sparring match and, of course, appreciate the added attention he's given my poor words. I was also touched by some of the rather sweetly ambivalent comments his post occasioned from some punching bags from Christmas Past. It is encouraging to think that even True Believers can sometimes appreciate informed criticism, even when it is wrapped (see post title) in unapologetically rude snark.

1 comment:

jimf said...

> I was also touched by some of the rather
> sweetly ambivalent comments his post occasioned. . .

Giulio Prisco wrote, in the comments:

> Too bad he obsessively hates us. . .

What is it with these people not being able to separate criticism of belief systems and arguments and political positions from putative "hatred" of people?

These are people who claim to be fans of **science**, for crying out loud (wasn't Prisco himself associated in some way with the European Southern Observatory? -- at least as some kind of manager, if not as an astronomer).

I mean, it's the **Scientologists** who label people as "suppressive persons" if they dare to doubt the authority of L. Ron Hubbard, and the **Objectivists** who labelled people as "anti-life" if they dared to doubt the genius of Ayn Rand.

Do the >Hists realize the company they're keeping by falling into the same old tribal patterns (ironically enough -- I mean, what could be more irrationally characteristic of good old H. sapiens?).

I may think Prisco is a bit of a buffoon, and I think Michael Anissimov is as naive as a Mormon missionary, and I have somewhat darker opinions of some other high-profile >Hists, but why would anybody bother to **hate** them? I don't **hate** Fred Phelps, or Michelle Bachmann, or Ann Coulter, or Mike Huckabee, either.