Fw: Political Cypherpunks Trumps Apolitical Cryptography

Zenaan Harkness zen at freedbms.net
Tue Sep 6 03:46:17 PDT 2016


On Mon, Sep 05, 2016 at 12:45:04PM -0700, Razer wrote:
> On 09/05/2016 11:39 AM, Stephen D. Williams wrote:
> > On 9/5/16 8:13 AM, Razer wrote:
> >> On 09/04/2016 10:30 PM, Zenaan Harkness quoted, I believe John Young:
> >>
> >>> That sounds like what cypherpunks was set up to combat, the
> >>> withdrawal from politcial affairs into safe sanctuary of
> >>> infallible mathematics...
> > 
> > My take on the Cypherpunks charter:
> > 
> > Cypherpunks exists to promote free speech, establish that free speech
> > includes the freedom to have secure private speech, and to explore how
> > this can be accomplished.  In support of this, to understand
> > implications of technology-enabled free speech and the technical,
> > commercial, and political moves needed to protect free speech.
> > 
> > What this does not include is promoting or bashing particular political
> > systems or plotting their demise or constantly going on about insane
> > nonsense.  We've seen that train wreck before, Lance.

> Cypberpunks discuss politics and I think Zenaan's [War] tagging posts,
> for instance, is a more than an adequate way of filtering if you have no
> interest.
> 
> I mean, are you paying for your internet by the byte or what?

:D

Dunno about paying by the byte, but I hear XKeyscore can filter by the
byte :D


> Not seeing that problems almost universally are the result of
> > ignorance and then complaining about those who work to rise above
> > ignorance is ignorant.  Sometimes well-studied people make mistakes or
> > are ignorant outside of their narrow focus.  Ignorant people constantly
> > make profound mistakes and often breed more ignorance.  There is nothing
> > to celebrate there.
> > 
> > If you are ignorant, you are being manipulated.  You are essentially
> > helpless, a pawn in somebody's plan.  It's cute how those who are
> > gradually becoming aware suddenly see how they are being controled and
> > oppressed, but usually have a gaping understanding gap.  Teenagers are
> > sure that their parents are controlling and oppressing them.  (And they
> > often are, but often not in the way that a teenager thinks.)  A college
> > kid who first reads Rand is sure they completely understand how the
> > world works in clear black and white.  People reading conspiracy
> > theories and bits of history think they completely understand the
> > nefarious mechanics of the world.  Plausible and possible become
> > certainties, resistant to facts and first-hand knowledge and even common
> > sense.  Tiresome nonsense, endlessly repeated.  OFF TOPIC.
> > 
> >> Einstein said if he had known what they were going to do with his
> >> theoretical works he would have never cooperated.
> >>
> >> Don't be "Einstein".
> > 
> > Don't be the ignorant people he was complaining about.
> 
> Einstein was talking about himself. He was IGNORANT of what they were
> doing with his math and work. That's what happens when you cloister
> yourself. Science DOES NOT EXIST in a political vacuum and neither
> should scientists, or coders.
> 
> Unless of course you "Work for the man". They REQUIRE it.

Hmmm ... funny you should respond to sdw with that :)



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