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The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

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Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#261
post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What stops Russia or China to send their troops there?

Nothing unless it's close to somewhere strategically important to the US. But I'm not sure I see your point.

They want independence from the US, but they won't survive in open waters without the US warships. Otherwise, if this island has any value at all, it'll attract Mexican cartels or Russian mafia or whatever else is floating in the international waters these days.

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One would assume that on a site like Hacker News, there would be more imagination and enthusiasm for innovation. Perhaps it's mostly selection bias on articles like this one that brings out the comments we see around us?

Over the last two decades, HN (and hacker culture in general) has shifted from a creator-oriented, anti-authoritarian (both left and right) culture to one supporting the establishment. I suppose that was inevitable - someone has to build the tools of surveillance capitalism at Google and Facebook.

HN still has a general pro-civil liberties, anti-surveillance tech vibe. Snowden was praised here, Palantir denounced. In this past year this stance has led to a rise of anti-China posts. But I'd also characterize HN as getting increasingly more skeptical of libertarian/classical liberal/neoliberal economics as well, and so would have a dim view of utopian seasteading libertarians.

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me just remind everybody that Bioshock is a computer game, its plot is fiction, and it constitutes no evidence whatsoever tht a real-life scenario that start the same way would end the same way. Sure, it is obvious when spelt out, but it is less obvious when it is a game of implications.

Agreed. It’s become a bit ridiculous when “but the game/movie/Netflix series showed that it can’t work” becomes an argument that is taken seriously.

Plenty of people defer to social parables like Atlas Shrugged or Animal Farm.

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#264
post #16

I think this is one of if not the most important issue in the entire world. We currently have two primary forms of government: dictatorship and democracy. Almost everyone prefers democracies. But many, if not most, living in democracies also take major issue with the way their countries are run. The best defense of democracy is Churchill's: democracy is the worst form of Government except for all the rest. A framewor…

How exactly does seasteading accomplish any such thing? What other means of government are they itching to try exactly? And how do you judge the success or failure of each experiment? How can you possibly eliminate externalities from any such system?

>>>how exactly does seasteading accomplish any such thing

Not sure if i capture your subject currently, but you literally do what the article states, for one.

>>>>>what other means of government are they itching to try exactly?

Why does that matter? If it does to you, should you not research it? The point is that competition will allow the best to replace the garbage we have today. More choice is always better. That is a fact. If you want to know what those choices are, you should inform yourself.

>>>>>And how do you judge the success or failure of each experiment? Its not as hard as you make it out to be. The seasteading project didn't gain traction. Failure. The opposite will be deemed suceess. People vote with their feet. It really is that simple.

>>>how can you possibly eliminate externalities from any such system?

Just because you havent formulated it in your mind, doesnt mean it is not possible. And even if it was not possible, it shouldnt matter. Not everything is black and white. You dont need to eliminate externalities to have something that helps working people live better lives. Eliminating externalities is not the goal

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#265
post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The unaccountable billionaire rulers of the oceanic fief who went to incredible expense for the sole purpose of escaping democratic accountability.

Ok. So don't move there.

Holy Christ.

Do you understand that if these types of fiefdoms are built, they will be able to attract people with misleading claims or by dangling short-term economic relief in front of desperate people who they can then ruthlessly victimize?

Maybe you do, and you just think "ah fuck em"

Which is in character for the types of people who want to start a fiefdom in the ocean.

I'm gonna have to recommend you pick up BioShock, for real. It's on sale for 5 dollars.

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK now Sea Citizen, you haven't been hitting your production targets... This is the third month you've failed to qualify for the monthly "bonus" scrip. After rent and commissary, I'm afraid that puts you in the red. And I don't have to tell you what that means. There aren't any open positions higher up, and you aren't exactly a top performer. The only way I see you digging out of this is signing up for the Human Init…

Pretty sure the whole point of all of this is that it is voluntary. People are free to leave, if they don't like living in the special economic zone.

Unless they're paid in scrip, which you know they would be

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#268
post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing unless it's close to somewhere strategically important to the US. But I'm not sure I see your point.

They want independence from the US, but they won't survive in open waters without the US warships. Otherwise, if this island has any value at all, it'll attract Mexican cartels or Russian mafia or whatever else is floating in the international waters these days.

A billionaire with no regulations could probably afford to hire enough protection to guard against anything but an attack by a state actor.

In any case, that's yet another reason we shouldn't allow American citizens to set up their own private countries.

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty sure the whole point of all of this is that it is voluntary. People are free to leave, if they don't like living in the special economic zone.

Unless they're paid in scrip, which you know they would be

Special economic zones exist in all parts of the world.

And people are able to freely leave them, lol.

Re: The Hottest New Thing in Seasteading Is Land

#270
post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok. So don't move there.

Holy Christ. Do you understand that if these types of fiefdoms are built, they will be able to attract people with misleading claims or by dangling short-term economic relief in front of desperate people who they can then ruthlessly victimize? Maybe you do, and you just think "ah fuck em" Which is in character for the types of people who want to start a fiefdom in the ocean. I'm gonna have to recommend you pick up Bi…

You're making a bunch of very weird assumptions about what's going to happen. All of which apply to the formation of literally any new country. You're not making any specific arguments about these structures and why they would lead to this. Your argument is a blanket argument against all forms of experimentation in this regard.

Some people like to try new things, and they're ok taking risks to do so. They should be allowed to do that. If you want to make a rule that says "such and such amount of disclosure is required for people moving there", i'd be fine supporting something like that. But just saying "well theoretically it could be exploited in this way" is not a very strong argument against trying it.

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