ULTRAHUMANISM: HOW WE CAN ALL WIN
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Ultrahumanism is a middle path through the increasingly dangerous jungle of technology. It proposes practical and moral guidelines that will help us adapt to upcoming developments in AI, genetics, and medicine.
In this thread I'll explain.
--
Ultrahumanism is a middle path through the increasingly dangerous jungle of technology. It proposes practical and moral guidelines that will help us adapt to upcoming developments in AI, genetics, and medicine.
In this thread I'll explain.
This thread is an excerpt. You can read the complete essay here.
(The core argument--that ultrahumanism is a better alternative to traditionalism and transhumanism--can be found in Section VI. Those familiar with transhumanism may want to start there.)
jsanilac.com/ultrahumanism
(The core argument--that ultrahumanism is a better alternative to traditionalism and transhumanism--can be found in Section VI. Those familiar with transhumanism may want to start there.)
jsanilac.com/ultrahumanism
The accelerating pace of technological advancement, today most obvious in the field of artificial intelligence, is exciting to some and troubling to others. Every aspect of our lives is subject to change—even quintessentially human things like love and beauty.
Ultrahumanism simply means that we use technology to become the best possible versions of ourselves--the best possible humans--without becoming something inhuman.
To explain why the ultrahumanist path is far better than the status quo, I'll begin by scaring you a little.
Artificial intelligence has been gradually surpassing human intelligence for generations now.
To muddy the waters, people admit AIs can mimic the behavior of intelligent minds, yet deny that they're conscious. Consciousness, however, is a red herring.
To muddy the waters, people admit AIs can mimic the behavior of intelligent minds, yet deny that they're conscious. Consciousness, however, is a red herring.
Why would we expect that we could continue to compete with AI when ITS hardware is continuously improving, but our OWN hardware is not?
Long experience has encouraged us to feel that improving our tools is safe and normal, whereas improving our biology is impossible at best, and deadly at worst.
Our biology sets a ceiling on our performance in all domains, both physical and mental. Improvements to hardware are what allow computers to break through those ceilings--and its time for us to follow suit.
Our human relationships are increasingly mediated by the digital, online world. This digital mediation of human relationships is a fertile ground for AI influence. Its negative effects would be blunted if we were willing to improve our biological selves.
As the popularity of visual filters increases, we'll become accustomed to seeing beautiful people everywhere online. Yet in the real world, we aren't becoming more attractive. This inhibits the formation of real, physical relationships.
The reality is that people aren't going to back away from harmful social technologies even if they're doing themselves harm.
Your online avatar.
Romantic chatbots will physically interact with the world by controlling any number of connected devices, from lighting and climate control, to vehicles and appliances, to wireless vibrators--all of which they'll use with superhuman skill.
Primitivists of all stripes neglect to consider the effects of both Malthusian economics and external competition. The Amish are just living in a bubble we've created for them.
Luddism is not the answer. The correct solution is to improve our biological selves so they look and feel just as good as our digital selves. The real dystopia is the status quo.
Visual filters have given you a valuable gift. At the press of a button, your screens will show who you could be if your biotech were up to the task. How you could look and feel--if only we fought to make it real.
Contents of the complete essay.
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