Reminder that the Dutch exist.

gilleain 17 hours ago | parent | next [-]

"Stopping the tide coming in" is usually a reference to the English king Cnut (or 'Canute') who legendarily made his courtiers carry him to the sea:

> When he was at the height of his ascendancy, he ordered his chair to be placed on the sea-shore as the tide was coming in. Then he said to the rising tide, "You are subject to me, as the land on which I am sitting is mine, and no one has resisted my overlordship with impunity. I command you, therefore, not to rise on to my land, nor to presume to wet the clothing or limbs of your master." But the sea came up as usual, and disrespectfully drenched the king's feet and shins. So jumping back, the king cried, "Let all the world know that the power of kings is empty and worthless, and there is no king worthy of the name save Him by whose will heaven, earth and the sea obey eternal laws."

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut#The_story_of_Cnut_and_the...

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stillpointlab 17 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

They're not stopping the tide, they are preparing for it - as I suggested. The tide is still happening, it just isn't causing the flooding.

So in that sense we agree. Let's be like he Dutch. Let's realize the coming tide and build defenses against it.

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FeepingCreature 17 hours ago | parent [-]

They are kinda literally stopping the tide coming in though. They're preparing for it by blocking it off completely.

That is a thing that humans can do if they want it enough.

	▲	lucumo 16 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> They're preparing for it by blocking it off completely. No we don't. Quite the opposite. Several dams have been made into movable mechanic contraptions precisely to NOT stop the tide coming in. A lot of the water management is living with the water, not fighting it. Shore replenishment and strengthening is done by dropping sand in strategic locations and letting the water take care of dumping it in the right spot. Before big dredgers, the tide was used to flush sand out of harbours using big flushing basins. Big canals have been dug for better shipping. Big and small ships sailed and still sail on the waters to trade with the world. A lot of our riches come from the sea and the rivers. The water is a danger and a tool. It's not stopped, only redirected and often put to good use. Throughout Dutch history, those who worked with the water generally have done well. And similarly, some places really suffered after the water was redirected away from them. Fisher folk lost their livelihoods, cities lost access to trade, some land literally evaporated when it got too dry, a lot of land shrunk when water was removed, biodiversity dropped... Anyway, if you want to use the Dutch waters as a metaphor for technological innovations, the lesson will not be that the obvious answer is to block it. The lesson will be to accept it, to use it, to gain riches through it: to live with it.
	▲	stillpointlab 15 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		As the other commenter noted, you are simply wrong about that. We control the effects the tide has on us, not the tide itself. But let me offer you a false dichotomy for the purposes of argument: 1. You spend your efforts preventing the emergence of AI 2. You spend your efforts creating conditions for the harmonious co-existence of AI and humanity It's your choice.