Re: Property rights

From: Stuart Armstrong (dragondreaming@googlemail.com)
Date: Sat Apr 19 2008 - 15:44:09 MDT


> > Ownership makes a lot of sense in conditions of scarcity
> > but I strongly doubt that it is rational in conditions of plenty

Actually, I'd reverse that statement - tribes operating in conditions
of scarcity have few concepts of ownership. The whole advantage of
private property and prices is that is allows efficient transfer of
information. When there is not need for information - when your
economy reduces to "everyone needs enough water and food to survive"
then command economies work fine.

Once we move beyond basic survival - then, private property comes into its own.

What is interesting about a "super AI" is that it could run an
efficient command economy. And it could run it in ways that minimise
the negative philosophical consequences to people. Would we want that?

Stuart



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