The following represents broad and general thoughts on the advancement of technology and development of artificial intelligence. My thoughts on these matters are in their infancy, non-exhaustive, and should not be taken as commentary on the veracity or plausibility of any scientific or technological development. This discussion also does not address religious, spiritual, or other mystic-based beliefs or theories that one could argue impact or resolve the issues presented. Finally, this discussion presupposes that simulation theory (and any related theories) are inapplicable (because otherwise many of these discussions points would be moot).

Is Perpetual Technological Growth Degenerative to Humanity?

At our core, humans seem persistently driven towards growth and exploration (of the tangible and intangible, of material and of ideas). Our emotions are a fundamental feature of our humanity and a primary driving force behind our accomplishments, discoveries, and creations. Some argue that without the downsides of life there cannot be upsides. For example, without sadness, happiness arguably would be less meaningful (what is it to feel good when you’ve never felt neutral or bad). Context and perspective are vital to our understanding of the nature, scope, and characterization of all things.

Because of this “humanity,” the potential long-term growth path of technology raises numerous complex issues.

Simply put, while there may be perpetual technological growth in the traditional sense, this growth eventually could come at the cost of the “human experience.”

One could envision reaching a point technologically where eliminating, nullifying, or modifying the aspects of “human nature” that are seen as negative and proximate causes of suffering, pain, or other problems commonly associated with the negative side of humanity ultimately results in the inadvertent destruction of the positive aspects of humanity — resulting in a (for lack of a better word) robotic shell with maximum longevity but absent the capacity for “meaningful” experiences. This also raises the question: how meaningful is life if you cannot die?

What Does it Mean to be Human?

A primary question that invariably will need to be addressed moving forward is “what is the purpose of life?” What does it mean to be a “human,” and what do we want humanity to be? Likely an extremely difficult subject to rea...

Posts

Wikitag Contributions

Comments