86. Curiosity can be stronger than fear
of death
Any information on global risks is
useful. For example, if we run a certain dangerous experiment and survive, we
learn that that kind of experiment is safe. This game has a limit though, where
we eventually run an experiment that blows up in our faces. People risk their
lives for the sake of knowledge or experiences. Alfred Nobel's (inventor of
dynamite) experiments accidentally caused the death of five workshop
assistants, including his brother Emil. Various scientists studying diseases
have deliberately infected themselves with the pathogen of study to observe its
effects firsthand. In 1993 in Russia, Boris Yeltsin put down a coup attempt
where his political enemies had occupied the Parliament building, and some
innocents who had crowded around the building out of curiosity were shot. We
can be certain that there will be some people, with the power to destroy the
world in their hands, who will be extremely curious about what would happen if
they unleashed this power. People will agree to run dangerous experiments for
the sake of curiosity.