Timothy Lee: Eight-year-olds can't stay in charge of anyone, so the controlled party's intelligence doesn't matter
binarybits · x · 2026-11-14
In a discussion with @JessRiedel, Timothy Lee (@binarybits) argues that running a complex civilization requires a minimum level of intelligence — most adults clear that bar, eight-year-olds do not. He illustrates with the example that a group of eight-year-olds could not meaningfully stay in charge of anybody, including other eight-year-olds, using the methods human adults use to maintain social control. His core point: in control relationships, the intelligence of the party being controlled is relatively unimportant — what matters is clearing the threshold needed to run a complex society. The exchange connects to debates about AI alignment and whether humans can control superintelligence.
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