Sadly, the same people that put together the SF Bitcoin conference are
putting together (and capitalizing) a successor to the Bitcoin Foundation.
They will be writing the laws.

This is not something to ignore.


On Sat, May 31, 2014 at 12:09 PM, Kristov Atlas <
author@???> wrote:

> We all have core beliefs of about fundamental areas of philosophy,
> including morality and epistemology, whether acknowledged or not. For most
> of us, these beliefs are imposed by our families and society, and for most
> of us, these beliefs will go unexamined. I find it quite engaging to
> explore those beliefs, but so far I get that the majority of the list is
> not interested in those topics or doesn't care to explore them in this
> list, at least. With this consideration, I don't plan to discuss it more
> than this post.
>
> Charisma and talking from the heart do not make you a good guy. They may
> mean that you are charismatic or persuasive, but I do not accept your
> proposed moral relativism. Nor do I accept the label of "bad guy" for
> myself. I don't get the sense that you are a bad guy, either, Amir, but
> it's your call whether to accept it for yourself.
>
> Acknowledging someone's evil doesn't mean that I won't learn from him. On
> the contrary, I learn much from evil people. And the fact that I learn from
> someone doesn't make them good, or justify their behavior.
>
> Talking about virtuous topics at a conference is extremely different from
> what Hitler did or starting a company to data mine for the CIA. Suggesting
> otherwise strains the limits of credulity. "Systems of control" is a
> wonderfully morally ambiguous phrase that obscures the line between people
> who initiate violence those who do not. Government agencies, militaries,
> genocidal dictators... these are not morally opaque realms.
>
> Intentions are not always empirically observable, but behavior always is.
>
> -Kristov
>
>
> On 05/31/2014 12:29 PM, Amir Taaki wrote:
>
> Hitler was a good guy, and we're all bad guys too :) If you listen to
> his speeches, so much charisma, talking from the heart.
> We should never hand wave fascists as "that crowd" but try to understand
> the logic so we can truly undermine it.
> It's not so shallow as you think, and more pervasive than we realise.
>
> Would you go to a Bilderburg meeting to advocate? It can be argued both
> ways. In the end you manage to convince yourself of becoming a
> Bilderburger consorting with aristocrats.
>
> Peter Thiel seems like the guy doing one thing with the left hand, and
> another with the right.
> I will be sure to ask him about his reasoning simply to understand when
> I meet him.
>
> How about all the people here that participated in the Bitcoin
> Foundation conference? It's really not so different when you compare...
> Cody said he'd love to go, and many of our friends attended.
>
> Are you undermining a system of control, or are you justifying your
> participation? The lines aren't so clear sometimes, and the road paved
> good intentions.
>
> On 05/31/2014 02:24 PM, Kristov Atlas wrote:
>
> On 05/31/2014 02:08 AM, Josh Walker wrote:
>
> THIS. Exactly this. The thing we must not forget, is that in all
> likelihood Hitler himself awoke believing he was doing good. The
> capability for self-deception is a defining characteristic of our
> sentience. It's scary, and we should never stop worrying that we could
> become equally misguided.
>
> For this reason, I am very nervous around anyone who appoints
> themselves judge and jury, declaring things black and white, with an
> "I would never…". No offense intended, Kristoff: We've hung out, and I
> like you very much. I just urge you to be careful, because as soon as
> we assume to be the side of universal good, and stop seeking to
> understand how others have arrived at their positions, we are just as
> close and just as likely the bad guy as they are.
>
> I'm genuinely sorry to hear that, again.
>
> But no, there is no scenario in which my understanding of ethics and
> myself leads me to become like Hitler. There is no mystery about what
> Hitler led to his behavior -- childhood trauma leading to psychopathic
> behavior, and an utter lack of principles. Objective ethics (when
> correct and applied universally) do not lead you toward evil, but
> liberate you from it. It's understandably scary since ethics were
> invented for the purpose of and used for manipulation for vast swaths of
> human history, but the study has been remarkably refined by the exertion
> of *actual* philosophy in the last few decades. This study is not
> complete, but the principles are sound, just as we currently have a
> sound approach to building bridges that don't collapse.
>
> As modern abolitionists, I encourage allies to wield principled
> morality. Arguing about how the cotton will picked in the future is dumb.
>
> -Kristov
>
>
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--
Sincerely,

Cody R. Wilson
codywilson@???

The University of Texas School of Law
Class of 2014