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Plato imagined that there were ideals. That philosophical objects - blueness, say, or the quality of being an apple - had a real existence, somewhere. In fact they were the only things that had a real existence. Maybe you could assign a number to each of these philosophical objects. What...
You are the last mogul of a dying civilization. Technology marched forward faster than ever but it has not been enough to save us. Indeed the lifespans of the wealthiest 0.1% of the population now exceed 150, but birth rates have fallen to near zero and the population is plummeting....
I want to show you something, she says. She’s magnetic. The way she smiles. Tilts her shoulder. It’s in the corners of her eyes, in the curl of her lips. Always leading you on, always holding something hidden from you, always cloaked in command. No matter what your type is,...
Low birth rates in the past cause ageing and shrinking populations in the present, which cause low birth rates in the future. So negative population growth feeds on itself. There are a variety of mechanisms by which this happens. (There may also be countervailing natural forces, as civilization is an...
I was inspired to try writing a bit of fiction recently by Tomas B's stories (which are amazing.) Since this is about AI risk, I offer it to you! My tastes are rather schlockier than Tomas B's so you can read if you enjoy qntm and anime and skip otherwise......