Um - What? You seem to be confusing OA as a setting depicting how we think the future should be. It is not - it is a worldbuilding project based in hard SF that aims to depict a plausible possible far future. In that future superhuman intelligences exist and do what they do. Whether or not human beings like it or agree with it is of no importance or relevance whatsoever. It is the world the people of the setting have to live in because that's how things shook out. We do not seek to create Utopia here.
While there are certainly elements of the setting that different contributors see as a positive in one way or another, there are also plenty that they do not. Assuming anything about the personal beliefs of the authors of a fictional work based on what is depicted in that work is unwarranted at best, and idiotic at worst.
Regardless - the point of the posts describing the setting and archai was not to attack you or tell you you should or should not believe anything. Quite frankly whether or not you like horror movies (or any other aspect of the real world for that matter) means less than nothing to us. What does matter to us is helping new members get up to speed with how the setting and its many and varied elements work. In that vein we tried to help you learn more about the setting and you apparently decided to interpret that as some kind of personal attack on you and your belief system - which is frankly bizarre since there had been no discussion up to this point about your beliefs or anyone else's.
Maybe you have had the misfortune to be attacked a lot for your beliefs and are just on a hair trigger to be prepared to take offense over anything said to you regardless of what is actually said to you. Maybe you are just that self-centered as to think that anyone interacting with you must be primarily concerned with whatever notions of 'ethics' and 'morality' you happen to have. Honestly, I really don't care.
What I do care about is that we tried to be friendly and helpful and you responded by impugning our intentions, attacking us personally, attacking the project, and pretty much saying that your personal beliefs are the only ones that are acceptable or that should be allowed to exist. That is unacceptable.
Let me bottom line this for you:
If you wish to be a friendly and constructive member of the OA community - within the bounds of what that community does - we are happy to get to know you.
If you wish to contribute to the OA setting we are happy to consider your contributions. From long experience, I would be willing to bet we can accommodate whatever particular imaginary society you might like to depict - within very broad limits and possibly (although not necessarily) with some minor tweaks to fit into the setting as it exists. This is something that all of us have had to do/continue to do as the project has evolved over time. It's a group project, not a single person's sole vision.
If you just want to lurk on the forum and not join in, that is fine too.
However, if your only 'contribution' to the community is going to consist of attacking and dismissing the project, the setting, and the people creating it while insisting that you and only you know the 'truth' of how things should be or that your personal vision of a desirable future is the only valid one (possibly dressing up such actions in the guise of 'philosophical discourse') - then you are wasting our time and yours and it is probably for the best if you go find someone else's sandbox to play in.
Because if you don't and continue to attack the project/the members/the setting we will make the decision of whether you stick around here or not for you.
The choice is yours.
Todd
Administrator - Orion's Arm Universe Project
While there are certainly elements of the setting that different contributors see as a positive in one way or another, there are also plenty that they do not. Assuming anything about the personal beliefs of the authors of a fictional work based on what is depicted in that work is unwarranted at best, and idiotic at worst.
Regardless - the point of the posts describing the setting and archai was not to attack you or tell you you should or should not believe anything. Quite frankly whether or not you like horror movies (or any other aspect of the real world for that matter) means less than nothing to us. What does matter to us is helping new members get up to speed with how the setting and its many and varied elements work. In that vein we tried to help you learn more about the setting and you apparently decided to interpret that as some kind of personal attack on you and your belief system - which is frankly bizarre since there had been no discussion up to this point about your beliefs or anyone else's.
Maybe you have had the misfortune to be attacked a lot for your beliefs and are just on a hair trigger to be prepared to take offense over anything said to you regardless of what is actually said to you. Maybe you are just that self-centered as to think that anyone interacting with you must be primarily concerned with whatever notions of 'ethics' and 'morality' you happen to have. Honestly, I really don't care.
What I do care about is that we tried to be friendly and helpful and you responded by impugning our intentions, attacking us personally, attacking the project, and pretty much saying that your personal beliefs are the only ones that are acceptable or that should be allowed to exist. That is unacceptable.
Let me bottom line this for you:
If you wish to be a friendly and constructive member of the OA community - within the bounds of what that community does - we are happy to get to know you.
If you wish to contribute to the OA setting we are happy to consider your contributions. From long experience, I would be willing to bet we can accommodate whatever particular imaginary society you might like to depict - within very broad limits and possibly (although not necessarily) with some minor tweaks to fit into the setting as it exists. This is something that all of us have had to do/continue to do as the project has evolved over time. It's a group project, not a single person's sole vision.
If you just want to lurk on the forum and not join in, that is fine too.
However, if your only 'contribution' to the community is going to consist of attacking and dismissing the project, the setting, and the people creating it while insisting that you and only you know the 'truth' of how things should be or that your personal vision of a desirable future is the only valid one (possibly dressing up such actions in the guise of 'philosophical discourse') - then you are wasting our time and yours and it is probably for the best if you go find someone else's sandbox to play in.
Because if you don't and continue to attack the project/the members/the setting we will make the decision of whether you stick around here or not for you.
The choice is yours.
Todd
Administrator - Orion's Arm Universe Project