[WikiEN-l] Anarchy and punishment (was: RickK leaving)

Tue Jun 21 13:36:07 UTC 2005

Anarchy and punishment don't go well together, and I'm glad Ambi brought
them up.

Thanks to the US military, the world has the Internet. Okay, it would
have come about sooner or later, but the same fun-loving guys who
launched the GPS satellites funded much of the research: the Pentagon
deserves a little credit. A drop. A smidgen.

But due to the Internet's design criteria - notably, that it should keep
working despite nuclear war, and route around failure points
automatically - there is no central control, no government. 

But many people have this "working model" of society, as well as
Internet collaboration : that THEY can each be the boss, the ruler, the
one who metes out punishments for all those who do not conform to their
standards. It's tempting; I know; I've succumbed many times to the Lure
of Authority. And I think Jimbo was very wise not to appoint me to the
arbcom - but to the Mediation Committee instead.

But I wish we would ALL stop it. Stop all these vendettas and
punishments and Lone Ranger campaigns to make the world over the way WE
ALONE know is right.

Let's find ways to cooperate together on this encyclopedia project.
Something other than anarchy, please. And don't let's set up a court
system either. There's got to be a better way.

Uncle Ed