On Wed, 6 Mar 2019 17:02:41 +0000 (UTC) jim bell <jdb10987@yahoo.com> wrote:
I consider it virtually axiomatic that there is no invention that can be used purely for helping freedom, or used purely for harming freedom.
True, objects are morally neutral. They can be used for good or to harm people. Scientific knowledge is usually neutral as well.
.But I think there tends to be a bias in the system that allows individuals to use inventions FOR freedom.
Which system are you referring to? The system of nature? Western political systems? Or? At any rate I see little to no evidence of individuals using inventions for freedom in a significant way. What's more, there clearly is a bias in the industrial fascist system and that bias gives huge amounts of power to very few people. Just as an example integrated circuits manufacturing is an 'industry' that is highly centralized, it's a key component of the police state and is totally out of the control of 'ordinary' individuals. The more people depend on a complex technical system they don't understand, the more obviously fucked they are.
Government is slow, stupid, and tends to lack imagination.
What do you think is going to happen when you severely underestimate the capabilities of your enemy? In a nutshell, there's no evidence to support your belief. Au contraire, governments are, by definition, the fastest and most clever criminal organization in town. Government is the mafia that has outcompeted all other mafias. Furthermore, governments and industry or "private sector" are closely cooperating criminals. So, for instance, government isn't just the military but it includes all the military contractors and their 'engineering skills'. All the 'private' banking system is part of the government. Academia is part of the government. And so on and so forth.
Jim Bell