A Boring Dystopia

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Modern Governance Flaws (sturlabragason.github.io)

submitted 1 year ago by sturlabragason to c/aboringdystopia

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https://sturlabragason.github.io/blog/2023/08/20/Goverment.html

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[–] Alimentar 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The problem with algocracy is someone has to define the laws in which the algorithm has to base it's decisions. And if someone is writing those laws, how can we know they're impervious to corruption.

[–] sturlabragason 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

No system, made or operated by humans, is impervious to flaws; by design, we have our shortcomings. However, the challenge lies in creating the least flawed system, safeguarding it from our biases. This involves crafting a system that automates away the potential for corruption and greed, yet maintains room for human intervention to prevent a rigid "computer says no" outcome.

By using open-source development methods and absolute transparency; algorithms could be developed openly, visible to all. Furthermore, to make it even more user-friendly — not just for algo developers — we could employ LLMs. This would allow anyone to converse with a bot, querying about the rationale behind laws, their fairness, and so on. If perceived as unfair, one can present their argument to the bot, which then channels the feedback into the system for potential amendments.

The entire procedure would then be under continuous peer review.

[–] Alimentar 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I didn't realise you wrote the article. I just wanted to quickly express how articulate and well written it is. And I completely agree with your points on the free market, government intervention and how unsustainable our current system is.

Though my view with algocracy is more to do with the types of individuals that are running the show. The wealthy, powerful and influential. The types that will stop at nothing to get what they want.

I feel that these people will always find opportunities to bend and manipulate systems in their favour. If it threatened their status, they'd destroy it. If they were somehow pushed into a corner they'd find ways to manipulate it.

It may be pessimistic but I really believe that in a dog eat dog world, there is no such thing as a system that is truly fair. You say an algorithmic system solves that. But I believe we'll never reach it... Not in a way where these people would lose their influence. They would never allow it.

[–] sturlabragason 2 points 1 year ago

Thank you! I've been able to improve my articulation and punctuation significantly with the assistance of my GPT-4 subscription. Don't get me wrong – the core ideas and writing are entirely my own. GPT-4 just helps me polish them a bit more.

Never lose hope! They're counting on our despair. I agree, it's a fucking brutally insane, dog-eat-dog world. It often feels like we'll be trampled upon before we can pry anything away from those greedy fuckers hands.

The way you feel is understandable. We are, after all, in what can be called a 'post-failure' era (this is by one of the guys who started the occupy wall street movement).

I've moved beyond the tinfoil hat metaphor. I now jokingly say that I wear a tinfoil suit. 😄 The powers that be have been establishing their stronghold since before the Industrial Revolution. It's no wonder we feel overwhelmed, seeing how they've shaped our societal functions, thought processes, and actions. Our laws, daily routines, and even our beliefs have been influenced by their interference.

I've spent considerable time pondering potential solutions. Here are some broad concepts I believe could lead us out of our current predicament. I've written more about the concept here, but here are the broad strokes:

Establish a Global Network of City-States: These would be independent entities scattered around the world.
Cryptography & Algocracy: Each city-state would be governed by unbreakable cryptographic systems and algocracy, ensuring that those with ulterior motives can't manipulate the system. Built-in safeguards would prevent undue influence.
Resource Sharing: These city-states would cooperate and share resources, within reasonable limits, to benefit the collective. (I intend to write articles about how they could operate their own independent global shipping system, and have one semi-related concept for a quasi-workable communication system).
Open-Source Ethos: Embracing an "information-wants-to-be-free" mindset would be paramount. This approach could potentially lead these city-states closer to a technological singularity, especially when compared to global states that might be on the path to deglobalization and de-industrialization.
Independent Economy: These city-states would operate their own economy, rendering the wealth accumulated in our current system irrelevant within their borders.
Scalability & Incremental Implementation: The design would be modular and scalable, much like open-source architecture with containerized modules. Everything would be freely available, ensuring that individual contributions benefit the whole.

There is a bunch of more concepts that tie into the above such as Degrowth but due to me being a slave to the rat race, I don't have all the time I wished I had to write about all of these as well.

Don't lose hope comrade!