OC ACXLW Meetup #90: “Alien Values & The Democracy of the Dead”
 Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 2:00–5:00 PM
 Location: 1970 Port Laurent Place, Newport Beach, CA 92660
 Host: Michael Michalchik (michaelmichalchik@gmail.com | (949) 375-2045)

What We’ll Explore

This meetup, we turn our attention to moral frameworks that might seem bizarre, disturbing, or utterly “alien”—and how we judge or co-exist with them. Is there ever a right to impose our values on societies (or intelligences) that clash with ours? Could future or past moral codes be just as valid—and if so, by what standard?

We’ll examine:

1. Fictional alien ethics (via Three Worlds Collide, Sporting with the Chid)
2. “Value is Fragile” arguments about how easy it is for precious human values to be supplanted
3. G.K. Chesterton’s “Democracy of the Dead”: giving voice to old traditions as if they’re living participants

Suggested Readings

1. “Value Is Fragile” by Eliezer Yudkowsky
   
    
   • LessWrong link
   • Short piece arguing how precarious our cherished moral codes can be in the face of advanced AI or alien mindsets.
2. “Three Worlds Collide” by Eliezer Yudkowsky
   
    
   • Text & Audio
   • Sci-fi scenario where humans meet two radically different civilizations, shining a light on moral contradiction.
3. “Sporting with the Chid” by Barrington Bayley
   
    
   • Archive.org link
   • A disturbing/horror short story that tests how we handle truly alien moral frameworks. (Content warning: unsettling.)
4. Chesterton’s “Ethics of Elfland”
   
    
   • PDF excerpt
   • Argues older cultural perspectives deserve representation in present-day moral discourse.

Sample Questions

1. Intervention vs. Non-Intervention
   
    
   • Do we ever have the right to forcibly “fix” a society we see as monstrous if it poses no direct threat?
   • Is that paternalism or legitimate universalism?
2. Future, Past, or Alien “Voices”
   
    
   • Might future humans or new intelligences see our current values as barbaric?
   • How does “democracy of the dead” tie in with moral humility or “imperialist” expansions?
3. Threat, Coexistence, and Pragmatism
   
    
   • If an alien or foreign value system endangers us, do we owe them moral obligations anyway?
   • Conversely, do we accept “live and let live” if they do no direct harm—even if we view their practices as abhorrent?
4. Are We the Outlier?
   
    
   • Could we be the ones with an extreme or parochial morality when compared with broader cosmic or historical vantage points?

We Welcome Your Presence

Join us on March 22 for a lively, mind-stretching discussion. Whether you approach it from a philosophical, historical, or science-fiction standpoint, all viewpoints are welcome.

If you have questions, please contact Michael (info above). Come explore how moral truths might shift under the weight of alien perspectives and the “democracy of the dead”!