Is trying to make the world better worth the risk of accidentally making it worse?

John said in 2007 that the worst thing is not to try, and that when an effort backfires one should admit it, apologise and change course; in 2019 he advised reducing such risks by listening and deep partnership. Hank urged caution in 2023, finding it terrifying to fix a planet we already mess with by messing with it more.

Axis: worth trying (the worst thing is not to try) ... better not to act than risk harm

Positions by date: 6 records in 6 videos. The position was refined (2023), never reversed, in these records.

John

date	how	position	video
2007-03-15	first on record	Asked what happens if efforts to decrease suck increase it, John says the worst thing is not to try; when one accidentally increases suck, admit it, apologise and change course.	Brotherhood 2.0: March 15: Decreasing Suck 00:02:15
2019-06-25	restate	Schieffelin didn't know the future and neither do we: John is sure we also have bad ideas that seem good now, but doesn't know which.	Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings 00:03:24
2019-10-01	restate	Philanthropy risks making things worse or creating new problems; John says to be aware of those risks and minimize them by grounding work in listening and deep partnership.	Why Are Poor Countries Poor? 00:05:55

Hank

date	how	position	video
2023-03-31	first on record	Hank says many people in AI are working hard to think through its implications so as not to be the random guy who ruined Hawaii.	The Coming AI Invasion 00:03:05
2023-04-04	refine	Hank says there is another level: our reaction to the new thing, which is often just as bad as its introduction.	April 4, 2023 00:00:29
2023-10-04	restate	Hank's most important reason for caution: we have one planet, already messing with it, and fixing that by messing with it more is understandably terrifying.	A Messy and Unhinged Introduction to Geoengineering 00:10:50