Ascending the Doomed Horizon– Elijah B.

The satanic mill of technological progress is a concept that mystifies and intrigues me. There appears to be a deterministic, teleological signature to the historical progress of the homo sapien, and while I would not leap to mythological, Hegellian conjectures, I would confidently assert that, provided that mankind survives this next century of tampering with the fabric of reality, the human destiny is in store for wonders beyond current cognitive understanding. The literally exponential growth of technology is just now beginning to rev its engines for the first and last time, slouching toward Bethlehem to be born. Human beings, as biologically conceived, will never know “normal” life (that is, life which is attuned to natural programming) ever again.

It is not the purpose of this blurb to expound in detail about the theories, hard facts, and philosophical implications involved in this dramatic description. It is is suffice to say that a damning and mounting body of evidence is available if one wishes to research the topic, and intellectuals in the know, such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, recognize the existential chaos that we are on the cusp of, and are taking actions to anticipate it.  Specifically, there will be a threshold– an event horizon at which, in a matter of minutes, an artificial Mind exponentially more powerful than our own will seize control, utterly and permanently, and continue to expand into the universe without end. It is quite impossible to say whether this will be a “good” or “bad” thing… this quite depends on ultimate priorities (is the human goal to create ultimate consciousness, regardless of consequence? to preserve and advance our species as we currently know it biologically? to advance consciousness and form ad infinitum, but only our own? etc.) of which, among humans, there are legion.

This all may seem terribly abstract and distant (which is the reason why many people dismiss this gargantuan issue), but the conclusion is this: Ultimately, the concern over whether technology is beneficial for humans or not is a moot point. Human nature will never allow for the halt of technological progress– to create greater life than our own is written in our programming. Due to the perceived inevitability of our transcendence and/or destruction (they are not mutually exclusive) one must recognize a Darwinian reality. Those who cannot adapt to the demands of new technology (aka, those who cannot pursue work that cannot be done by a machine) will rage and moan, but they will die out. They are no longer for this world. There is therefore a moral imperative to provide quality education and advanced skills to as many human beings as possible, so that they may join the ranks of the relevant, and maintain whatever dominance the human brain possesses in the world for as long as possible. Relegating technology to a simple matter of profit, efficiency, standard of living or convenience is simply not possible anymore. As such, it is useless and naive to attempt and hold back the flow of technology in any respect. As creatures of independent agency, we ought to still be able to choose whether or not we personally accept the technologies given us, but we cannot prevent them on a societal level, and even on a personal level we must, in any case, be able to endure the consequences of our actions.

In effect then, I would not deem myself a technological “pessimist” or “optimist”, but rather a fatalist of sorts. There is nothing to be gained by hoping for or assuming a particular outcome, we must simply evaluate where technology stands, attempt to sway it how we may, and prepare ourselves for whatever fortune lies ahead. I am an optimist in the sense that I cannot wait to see what beauty, power, and revelation technology has in store for us, but a pessimist in that I advocate supreme caution in all technological steps going forward, for we grow ever closer to dramatically twisting reality beyond any semblance of comprehension. We are Prometheus, and are quite literally playing fire. With what faculties and agency we have then, we must decide how best to serve Man. We cannot douse the inferno, but if we are strong enough, we may yet dance in the shadows of the flames.