Isn't that an interesting parallel? I can imagine God reading
Definitely. Once I had a coworker, who said, after I had explained the concept to him: "What do you need a spacecraft for? There is Earth! Isn't Earth like a giant spacecraft?"
And he's right: Earth is like a spacecraft too. Or, if you expand on the concept of giant spacecraft, our solar system could entirely be contained in some kind of chamber inside a spacecraft, and what we see as stars, might be other chambers with other solar systems. That's the largest of spacecraft imaginable!
Universes could be like snowflakes falling on a winter day, and galaxies like little ice crystals
And then there might be God who sent us on a journey
That could happen with the secret order too. Or maybe the secret order will decide to use the people for their own gains. Who knows. The ethical thing to do is keep people informed. A government by the people, for the people -- in space too.
The secret order should be where the AI of the ship comes in. It would have to select the best new members for the order, and keep them "aligned". This would keep management "cost" in that area minimal. Now picture the consequences of your suggestion: Let's assume for a moment that the ship is governed by a democratic government. In the worst case, it would have control over the ship. There'd be various interest groups that would try to gain control of the ship. Would you like to see them die, the billions of people on such a ship? One tiny error in the control of such a ship can cause all people to die. Now put it in the hands of power-hungry madmen. That's why still in democratic governments, there's still shadow groups like secret societies, and secret services that keep some information out of the hands of even the highest ranks in government. To keep a democratic government at bay and in functional condition, the AI would have to use far more sophisticated tactics (if even allowed to do so). Meh
Government should be open and transparent, and the people should be informed. It makes me sad that people would even propose such a thing.
Certainly, you're right. It would be the reasonable choice, to make everything transparent and open
Man must shape his tools lest they shape him. -- Arthur R. Miller