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SYSTEM_ERROR_DEMOCRITICAL

                                             December 16, 2022
                                             March    18, 2023

About "System Error" (2021):
                                          SYSTEM_ERROR


    "Despite our enthusiasm for the role of
    democracy in governing technology, our         The word "our" here seems
    democratic institutions do not always          pretty racy.  They're willing
    inspire much hope."                            to take responsibility for a
                                                   clear, positive assertion:
                                                   e.g. "democracy is good".

                                                      SYSTEM_ERROR_AGENDA


           (That was around p.257, I think.)



The introduction closes with this, which is
as close as this book gets to a call to arms:

    "We can't leave our technological future
    to engineers, venture capitalists, and
    politicians.  This book lays out the         Um: "politicians"?
    dangers of leaving the optimizers in
    charge and empowers all of us to make the
    difficult decisions that will determine
    how technology transforms our society.
    When we act collectively, we not only        Hm: "act collectively"?
    take charge of our destiny, we also make
    it far likelier that our technological
    future will be one in which individuals
    will flourish alongside, and because of,
    a reinvigorated democracy"                   Ah: "reinvigorated democracy"

          -- p. xxxi-xxxii
                                                     But: "flourish alongside,
                                                           and because of"?

     I find myself puzzling about                       Oh forget it.  I'm
     enthusiasts for the democratic                     probably thinking
     process who are also taking                        about this more
     aim at those damn politicians.                     carefully than they
                                                        were.
     Taking what they say literally
     here, the only conclusion is that
     the "reinvigorated democracy"
     they're envisioning is a more
     direct democracy (ala California's
     much reviled direct initiative
     process), with less use of elected
     representatives.   But if that
     *is* what they meant to say, then
     there's a chapter or two missing
     from their prescriptions:  nothing
     else is said about ideas like this
     here.

        Could it be they're thinking of
        some other form of acting
        collectively other than voting
        for representatives (who are
        typically mere politicians,
        after all)?  There isn't much
        mention of anything like that,
        either.




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