It’s about the dangers of unrestrained escalation. It’s a failure of humanity that we even got to the point where a few people’s small and difficult decisions decided the fate of so much. This post is a friendly reminder to...
Please avoid escalating socio-economic disagreements to nuclear levels.
Please avoid escalating market competitions to Moloch levels.
Please avoid escalating paperclippers to superintelligent levels.
Learn to recognize signs of unrestrained escalation. You may be participating in unrestrained escalation...
If your information landscape becomes increasingly narrowed by a centralized source or by recommender algorithms.
If you attempt to fight over-escalated issues in a way that encourages opposing parties to fight back. For example, if you try to overtly starve the object of escalation of its resources and ability to act.
If your actions become increasingly coordinated with large and powerful groups.
If your judgment becomes increasingly dictated by stories told from a single point of view or single optimization criterion.
When you do recognize signs of unrestrained escalation, please take actions to de-escalate. You may do this...
By learning and teaching others to recognize unrestrained escalations.
By refusing to participate in group actions that encourage further escalation.
By starving the participants of their motivation (rather than of their resources and ability to act).
By using every escalation as a teaching opportunity for how to recognize and reduce future escalations.
And, of course, when considering whether a contentious situation warrants escalation, please do not divorce your opinions from the nuances of the current situation. In high-energy, high-pressure scenarios, small-scale effects often have large-scale consequences, and dually large-scale consequences are often driven by small-scale effects.
Thank you for your attention. Escalate responsibly.
Petrov Day is not about unilateral action
It’s about the dangers of unrestrained escalation. It’s a failure of humanity that we even got to the point where a few people’s small and difficult decisions decided the fate of so much. This post is a friendly reminder to...
Please avoid escalating socio-economic disagreements to nuclear levels.
Please avoid escalating market competitions to Moloch levels.
Please avoid escalating paperclippers to superintelligent levels.
Learn to recognize signs of unrestrained escalation. You may be participating in unrestrained escalation...
If your information landscape becomes increasingly narrowed by a centralized source or by recommender algorithms.
If you attempt to fight over-escalated issues in a way that encourages opposing parties to fight back. For example, if you try to overtly starve the object of escalation of its resources and ability to act.
If your actions become increasingly coordinated with large and powerful groups.
If your judgment becomes increasingly dictated by stories told from a single point of view or single optimization criterion.
When you do recognize signs of unrestrained escalation, please take actions to de-escalate. You may do this...
By learning and teaching others to recognize unrestrained escalations.
By refusing to participate in group actions that encourage further escalation.
By starving the participants of their motivation (rather than of their resources and ability to act).
By using every escalation as a teaching opportunity for how to recognize and reduce future escalations.
And, of course, when considering whether a contentious situation warrants escalation, please do not divorce your opinions from the nuances of the current situation. In high-energy, high-pressure scenarios, small-scale effects often have large-scale consequences, and dually large-scale consequences are often driven by small-scale effects.
Thank you for your attention. Escalate responsibly.