
How Russia is using authoritarian tech to curb coronavirus - kjhughes
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/29/europe/russia-coronavirus-authoritarian-tech-intl/index.html
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osipov
We are the good guys so when we are using the same tech we are caring and
progressive.

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zabana
Exactly, this anti russia / china rhetoric has become pathetic.

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api
So is the opposite, namely citing the apparent effectiveness of the Chinese
response to argue for more authoritarianism broadly and generally.

Emergencies are not normal conditions, and it is both rational and ethical to
behave differently and even employ different political and ethical models
during them. In an emergency, naked pragmatism rules. Do what works, whatever
that is.

Example: its normally very unethical to torture someone. What if a nuke is
about to destroy a city and they know the disarm code? Maybe it is under that
condition, but if so it does not follow that torture is now broadly
legitimate. That was an ethical edge case.

