- Joined
- Feb 6, 2010
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I've been asked why I identify as a Transhumanist Socialist and more specifically what that means specifically.
I'll try to lay it out as simply as I can.
Its clear to me that the old answers to tyranny are inadequate. What I ultimately want to see the establishment of the first posthuman civilization. Up to now, all free societies have started with one premise: human nature is cruel, unjust -- a force to be controlled. The separation of powers, of all ways throught time, are designed purely to stall the ambitions of individuals.
The solution is to address the flaws in human nature. Make all beings truly equal in both body and mind. If you start with minds that are lucid, knowledgable, and emotionally sound, the needs of government change dramatically. If government can account for the nuances of human behavior, thought, emotion, and desire then maybe it can truly consider itself an extension of the will of the people.
Through the use of advanced technology, you make possible the establishment of a true, universal, and pure democracy. Using a network of communication that links the mind of every individual to a central processing network. This network uses a synthetic intelligence to oversee the logistic and beurocratic functions of government. The network that links enhanced minds together will be linked to the synthetic intelligence such that it can have, at a moment's notice, the capability to poll the entire population about legislation or other issues.
The emerging technology also allows us to spread the influence of education to as many people as humanly possible, creating an educated and informed populace that is equipped to form sound opinions on a subject of government. Such a network of communication will also enable the instantaeous transmission of information to anyone anywhere in the world, allowing the near instant sharing of any knowlege. Through these means, we can ensure an educated populace and an equality that has never before been achieved.
There will be understandable unease about giving power to a synthetic intelligence, but all governments have power. The benefit of giving this power to a synthetic intellect is that human affairs would no longer need to be ruled by generalities. The intelligence will have a deep understanding of every person's life and opinions and will have the processing power need to generate solutions that will benefit as many people as possible.
This system will communicate, not assimilate, on a voluntary basis; no one will be spied on and communication can be severed at will. It must also be considered that such a "connected" populace will be extremely hard to dominate or control; there is strength in unity and in understanding.
"General ideas are no proof of the strength, but rather of the insufficiency of the human intellect." The words of Alexis de Tocqueville, an observer of the birth of modern democracy. Though general ideas allow human minds to make judgments quickly, they are necessarily incomplete. So de Tocqueville noted that an all-knowing mind -- the mind of God, as he conceived it -- would have no need for general ideas. It would understand every individual in detail and at a glance. Incomplete applications of law or justice would be impossible for such a mind.
I want human affairs to be driven by wisdom. But wisdom must first be human. You must start with what a human sees and feels. But wisdom must also be knowledgeable, logical, and fair to billions of other beings.
Some people see these emerging technologies as creating an inherent inequality or tampering with the human form in forbidden ways. To take that step is to go down the path of intolerance. Is human nature perfect? No. Therefore, improvements are to be welcomed, not annihilated with ancient taboos and fears. As enhanced beings, we can establish a pure democracy that runs on instantaneous input from the electorate. What system could be more equal than that? Under such conditions, we would have a clean slate to implement and experiment with any political system we wanted because we would have a population with the wisdom to not let emotions and selfish desires get in the way of the progress of the human race.
This may seem like science fiction to many people, but many things that we take for granted today were once considered science fiction and the exponential increase in our technology every day, even given our political burdens, shows that we CAN achieve these things. The biggest hurdle will be in accepting that this is the best of any possible reality we could ever reasonably expect.
I'll try to lay it out as simply as I can.
Its clear to me that the old answers to tyranny are inadequate. What I ultimately want to see the establishment of the first posthuman civilization. Up to now, all free societies have started with one premise: human nature is cruel, unjust -- a force to be controlled. The separation of powers, of all ways throught time, are designed purely to stall the ambitions of individuals.
The solution is to address the flaws in human nature. Make all beings truly equal in both body and mind. If you start with minds that are lucid, knowledgable, and emotionally sound, the needs of government change dramatically. If government can account for the nuances of human behavior, thought, emotion, and desire then maybe it can truly consider itself an extension of the will of the people.
Through the use of advanced technology, you make possible the establishment of a true, universal, and pure democracy. Using a network of communication that links the mind of every individual to a central processing network. This network uses a synthetic intelligence to oversee the logistic and beurocratic functions of government. The network that links enhanced minds together will be linked to the synthetic intelligence such that it can have, at a moment's notice, the capability to poll the entire population about legislation or other issues.
The emerging technology also allows us to spread the influence of education to as many people as humanly possible, creating an educated and informed populace that is equipped to form sound opinions on a subject of government. Such a network of communication will also enable the instantaeous transmission of information to anyone anywhere in the world, allowing the near instant sharing of any knowlege. Through these means, we can ensure an educated populace and an equality that has never before been achieved.
There will be understandable unease about giving power to a synthetic intelligence, but all governments have power. The benefit of giving this power to a synthetic intellect is that human affairs would no longer need to be ruled by generalities. The intelligence will have a deep understanding of every person's life and opinions and will have the processing power need to generate solutions that will benefit as many people as possible.
This system will communicate, not assimilate, on a voluntary basis; no one will be spied on and communication can be severed at will. It must also be considered that such a "connected" populace will be extremely hard to dominate or control; there is strength in unity and in understanding.
"General ideas are no proof of the strength, but rather of the insufficiency of the human intellect." The words of Alexis de Tocqueville, an observer of the birth of modern democracy. Though general ideas allow human minds to make judgments quickly, they are necessarily incomplete. So de Tocqueville noted that an all-knowing mind -- the mind of God, as he conceived it -- would have no need for general ideas. It would understand every individual in detail and at a glance. Incomplete applications of law or justice would be impossible for such a mind.
I want human affairs to be driven by wisdom. But wisdom must first be human. You must start with what a human sees and feels. But wisdom must also be knowledgeable, logical, and fair to billions of other beings.
Some people see these emerging technologies as creating an inherent inequality or tampering with the human form in forbidden ways. To take that step is to go down the path of intolerance. Is human nature perfect? No. Therefore, improvements are to be welcomed, not annihilated with ancient taboos and fears. As enhanced beings, we can establish a pure democracy that runs on instantaneous input from the electorate. What system could be more equal than that? Under such conditions, we would have a clean slate to implement and experiment with any political system we wanted because we would have a population with the wisdom to not let emotions and selfish desires get in the way of the progress of the human race.
This may seem like science fiction to many people, but many things that we take for granted today were once considered science fiction and the exponential increase in our technology every day, even given our political burdens, shows that we CAN achieve these things. The biggest hurdle will be in accepting that this is the best of any possible reality we could ever reasonably expect.