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Cyberpunk pt16: Government Enforced Morality

27/05/10

Egofreaky

… Only the very poor and downtrodden really needed religion, to make their laborous lives more bearable… Happily for the governing class, a well-formed faith also kept people from seeking recompense in the here and now, through riot, insurrection or revolution. A temple was worth a dozen barracks; a militia man carrying a gun could control a small unarmed crowd only for as long as he was present; however, a single priest could put a policeman inside the head of every one of their flock, for ever.

Iain Banks – Matter

"It'll filter out THIIIIS much!"

But what if you could do away with the religion as well by using technology?

If there’s something we’ve learnt from Senator Conroy’s Macarthy-esque paranoia about anyone using the internet being a pro-kiddy-fiddling, Google loving terrorist, or the previous Liberal government’s insistence that over $16,000,000 was well spent on a filter that a 14 year old with only intermediate computer skills was able to bypass in under 45 seconds, or city councils insistence on dry suburbs or pub-curfews, or the continued illegality of commercialization of sexual favours in all but two US states, or the still non-legal status of homosexual life partnerships the world over… *deep breath*… it’s that governments of all stripes love to legislate morality and social correctness.

And they would love nothing more than to be able to put a chip in your head (or, for those that love a good conspiracy, chemicals in your water supply), that would do this job for them and make us all good, happy and obedient people living free of vice of any kind.

So what would happen if they could?

In the amazingly awesome cartoon version of Aeon Flux, the episode titled The Purge sees antagonist Trevor Goodchild implanting a violent (Australian) criminal with a robotic conscience. Within the context of the show it worked by wrapping around his nervous system and forcing him to behave in the most moral and selfless manner one possibly could. The character becomes such a good samaritan that at one point he cuts off his own arm for a small boy to take. Aeon and Trevor then proceed to have a surreal argument during a gameshow about the morality of Authority enforcing morality on its citizens, or if free choice should include the right to act in an antisocial, criminal or violent manner if that is what one so chose.

The video game Syndicate Wars presents a utopia for its citizens. This is done by implants that actively alter citizens perception of reality, so in place of the real dystopia they live in they are presented with an ideal 1950s world of fluffiness and apple pies. Living in such a state of contentment, the citizenry has no reason to commit crimes or behave “immorally” (which makes it doubley as fun when you blew them away).

After all, crime is a symptom of discontent, and morality is a system of social control (and generally polite behaviour). Direct control of contentment = direct control of crime and social behaviour.

But can this sort of control be exerted over people with today’s level of technology?

The short answer is no… at least not your ability to make moral decisions without interference outside of lab settings. But various behavioural science labs are keen to change that, if only to understand the workings of the human mind and social interactions en masse.

Various experiments have been successfully carried out on the direct control, via implantable devices, of the motor functions of lower order mammals. The results are applicable to humans after some tweaking for differences in the motor cortex. That’s only direct motor control that can already be manipulated… But if someone else is controlling you and you’re aware of it, will you feel morally responsible for actions committed by your body? You’ll certainly experience any psychological traumas that may happen as a part of it.

Further experiments have also revealed a basic understanding of how to disrupt people’s ability to think coherently, alter choices in what the experimental subjects considered in accordance to their moral principles, and even to some extent completely alter the choices that people would normally make under certain circumstances to those that are opposite. This is simply with electrodes placed on the correct spot and / or magnetic fields around the head of the subjects. We haven’t even spoken about the potential of post hypnotic suggestion (say, potentially as part of primary school curriculum) or chemicals known to alter decision making processes.

Wrap the three together in a nice little brainbox and you’ve got the perfect device for citizen control.

If they don’t like their reality, chemically reinforce that they do like their reality or alter their perception until a sunny disposition is reached whether they want it or not.

Sure this technology isn’t currently available in a form that’s subtle enough for people not to notice it being done to them. But we are getting there, and much like the bionic eye, there is human level testing already taking place with “promising” results.

So given that we know that every government basically runs off somewhat Machiavellian principles, some questiosn arise:

If the devices can be used to alter the way you feel about certain decisions, are you morally responsible for any decision you make in the future? Or are you simply acting in accordance to the general whim of the programmer?
Considering the nature of current wireless communication tech, it’s a safe bet to assume that if these devices were put into use they’d be wirelessly controlled. Which would leave them open to hacking. How far would hackers go in controlling other people?
Are we likely to see entire armies of what are effectively mindless drones? After all, you could put these on prison populations, and no one would care much. BAM! Instant mindless army that’ll do what it’s told.
"They installed this brain box on me, and gave me cool lazors! PEW PEW PEW!"

If there were tax benefits for having one, would you get one installed? And does it come with free Foxtel or a chocolate hamper?
Do you honestly think you’d be able to recognise these devices for what they are in a near future where people are seriously considering having neurological interfaces to computers and/or networks installed into them ala Ghost in the Shell?