Bob Meyer
Bob Meyer
Jul 28, 2017 · 1 min read

Remarkable! …lack of insight. Every social, economic or political system ever devised is a paperclip maximizer. A family, a tribe, a monastery. A school of fish, a pride of lions, a beehive are all paperclip maximizers. An individual virus, a bacterium, a single coral polyp, a single human being are paperclip maximizers. The Sun, a black hole, our galaxy: paperclip maximizers all. Gravity, the first, second and third laws of thermodynamics, evolution are all paperclip maximizers. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Medium are all paperclip maximizers. And so we’re drawn to the conclusion that any system is, to a greater or lesser extent, a paperclip maximizer, with some degree of efficiency and some possibility of harmful side effects.

The Ebola virus maximizes the creation of more Ebola virus with the regrettable side effect of killing its host. A hurricane maximizes heat transfer from the ocean surface to the upper atmosphere with unfortunate side effects to human endeavors.

Human social, economic and political systems are more interesting, or challenging, or fragile (depending on your point of view) than natural systems because they are limited only by human imagination or cruelty or obsession or indifference (depending on your viewpoint) than they are by physical limitations. And, of course, it takes some degree of creativity to imagine an AI with the aggression or implacability or obsession or narcissism (depending on your viewpoint) of a virus, hurricane, termite mound or internet troll.

But, all that aside, it was a well-written story.

Bob Meyer

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Bob Meyer

I’m a baby boomer, born 1947, married, 3 children, retired, living in Central Texas. I’m from analog, black&white, patriarchy, but I’ve grown beyond that.