THE TRANSHUMANIST SCRAPBOOK: RADICALLY AMPLIFIED HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
This one was shared by Mr. J.K., and it's definitely one worth adding to your transhumanist scrapbook. Readers of my and co-author Scott D deHart's book Transhumanism: A Grimoire of Alchemical Agendas will recall that transhumanism emphasizes the four "GRIN" technologies - Genetics, Robotics, Information processing, and Nanotechnology - that, used in conjunction and with a heavy emphasis on the information-processing technologies, will lead to what some transhumanists, led by Ray Kurzweil, call the "singularity," a vast expansion of human capabilities and consciousness.
Within that context, we've seen over the past few weeks a number of warnings, first voiced by Elon Musk but also more formally argued by Oxford's Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, about the immanent dangers of the emergence of artificial intelligence, an emergence of which its creators - mankind - might not even be aware until it's far too late.
But now there's another possibility emerging - one which has been hinted at by Ray Kurzweil and other transhumanists - and that is the radical expansion of human intelligence by technological enhancement:
Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI
There's a few statements here worth pointing out, for they are the subject of today's high octane speculation:
"Michael, when we speak of Intelligence Amplification, what are we really talking about? Are we looking to create Einsteins? Or is it something significantly more profound?
"The real objective of IA is to create super-Einsteins, persons qualitatively smarter than any human being that has ever lived. There will be a number of steps on the way there.
"The first step will be to create a direct neural link to information. Think of it as a 'telepathic Google.'
"The third step involves the genuine augmentation of pre-frontal cortex. This is the Holy Grail of IA research — enhancing the way we combine perceptual data to form concepts. The end result would be cognitive super-McGyvers, people who perform apparently impossible intellectual feats. For instance, mind controlling other people, beating the stock market, or designing inventions that change the world almost overnight. This seems impossible to us now in the same way that all our modern scientific achievements would have seemed impossible to a stone age human — but the possibility is real."
Before going further, we've seen the warnings already regarding the emergence of general artificial intelligence, to the point that some theologians are already pondering the "baptism" of such AI. Others - and I share their concerns - are more disturbed about the potentials of such AI to be programmed to observe the dictates of a particular religious system, e.g., Sharia law for Islam, or "the institutes of biblical law" for the Christian Calvinist dominionist. Would such AI have the human capacity for emotion and compassion? Many doubt it, and I number myself among them.
So why does the radical enhancement of human intelligence enter the picture here? My high octane speculation is rather disturbing, but given the proclivities of the elites to use dialectical manipulations to achieve their goals, what I believe we are looking at is the possibility of the dialectical manipulation of the meme of artificial intelligence along the following classic lines: (1) general artificial intelligence is potentially a very bad thing, and could, if accomplished, lead to a cession of power and sovereignty to such an intelligence to such an extent that human existence itself could be threatened. This, in essence, as been the warning of Bostrom and Musk. But there's an antithesis, and that is this (2) the growth of capabilities in the information processing technologies leads to the conclusion that such possibilities may be inevitable.
So what's the synthesis? (3) In order to forestall the possibilities of general artificial intelligence occurring, with all its human-threatening potential, we may have to forestall the possibility of human subservience to such capabilities by radically enhancing human intelligence.
But there's a danger here as well, and the article points it out, for such "radical enhancement" would seem only to import the possibilities of a cold, machine-like intelligence into mankind himself:
"What potential psychological side-effects may emerge from a radically enhanced human? Would they even be considered a human at this point?
"One of the most salient side effects would be insanity. The human brain is an extremely fine-tuned and calibrated machine. Most perturbations to this tuning qualify as what we would consider "crazy." There are many different types of insanity, far more than there are types of sanity. From the inside, insanity seems perfectly sane, so we'd probably have a lot of trouble convincing these people they are insane.
"Even in the case of perfect sanity, side effects might include seizures, information overload, and possibly feelings of egomania or extreme alienation. Smart people tend to feel comparatively more alienated in the world, and for a being smarter than everyone, the effect would be greatly amplified.
"Most very smart people are not jovial and sociable like Richard Feynman. Hemingway said, "An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools." What if drunkenness were not enough to instill camaraderie and mutual affection? There could be a clean "empathy break" that leads to psychopathy."
Could lead to psychopathy? From the behaviors of certain leaders, I think we've already arrived. I'll lead you to consider the potential implications of that "arrival", and I'll
See you on the flip side...
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So say the elites already have split personality disorders, or rather live double lives due to their memberships’ in a secret society, would adding an AI into the mix make them a three headed entity? This AI would also give them a monumental reach, as if they posses 8 limbs. Anytime these elites wish to move around or relocate civilization they steam roll over everything in their path. So now we have a three headed, 8 limbed, rolling entity… I have a feeling Jupiter is waiting in the wings but something scalar is not allowing him to enter the stage.
The transhumanist are so yesterday- progress, evolution, the world as machine???? These paradigms are Victorian. These guys try to pass themselves off as forward thinking and progressive. Hogwash!
Besides that, the transhumanist superman thinking (also Victorian) never ends in a good place. Look where Nietzsche’s (although otherwise a great philosopher) unber mensch landed the world.
I believe Google has made a big mistake in hiring Kurweil as head of technology. Do they really think the right man for the job is a man who hates humans and still wants to become a Marvel comic superhero when he grows up? What is wrong with this guy? Was Kurweil bullied and beat up by the other kids at the playground to much? Perhaps Google wants to expand the scope of their business, but in my mind they shuld stick with what they do best: Search engines and information flow. If they want to amplify intellegence, they should try to open and connect more information sources, increase privacy and keep the prying eyes out of everyone’s business. They should of hired Aaron Swartz. Instead this guy gets murdered. Google seems not only to become an information cartel, but they seem to want to control every aspect of our lives. This Kurweil is just one more annoying aspect of this control.
Should Google concern themselves with integration and further formation of information after it reaches the human mind? Perhaps Kurweil’s ideology balances out Bill Gates ideology in some mysterious way. Gate’s seems to push for a radical change in intelligence in the opposite direction. His Gate’s foundation has made major pushes for mass vaccinations. This alone could help lower total world IQ of 50 billion quotient points ( 25 average IQ points each for a third of the world population of 2 billion)
So maybe Google isn’t so stupid after all. There is going to have be a whole lot of intelligence amplification to overcome a behavior modification and dumbing down that result in vacinations, laced with whatever crap they mix in there. Throw in Common core, GMO’s and floride and it would appear the transhumanist programs of life extension and intelligence enhancement is set to become a thriving industry .
On the surface, the technology is indeed tempting. But I’m afraid they’re looking at a wrong idea of intelligence. All they will create is a second rate thing capable of vast trivialities and calculations, seemingly powerful yet still programmed. Will it be able to understand or to see beyond? Can’t help but wonder if their real intention is to enhance or to forge, but no doubt they’re attempting to imitate nature, wherein the capacity for divination is supposed to be inherent
AI is a con game. Considering we cannot even define “intelligence” with any accuracy, it is foolish to try and create artificial versions of it.
The huge mistake that these “trance-humanists” make is in thinking that intelligence arises from information, and that consciousness arises from information processing.
A simple examination of the application of “big data” to the health care (sorry, illness business) system will radically disprove that notion very quickly. The use of medical records systems and insurance company rules to replace doctors and nurses in patient care decisions is resulting in wildly decreased quality of care and untold increases in death and disease. (By design?)
I predict that, as in SG Atlantis, these “human-form replicator” trance-humanists will not be able to “Ascend,” because computers only mimic intelligence, they do not actually embody it. (A video of Einstein is not Einstein, no matter how smart it sounds. The menu is not the meal.)
These trance-humanists don’t understand that lots and lots of processed information, even with pattern recognition, is not intelligence nor consciousness. Watson, in all its media glory, is still just a computer which can only respond as it is programmed to respond. The game Jeopardy is a measure of memory, NOT intelligence. Rapid recall of facts is not intelligence, it is memory. I bet I could come up with a series of questions that Watson would never be able to answer.
Just because a task seems “intelligent,” doesn’t mean it is. Most of what people think of as “intelligence” is simply very good memory and education (which is mostly memory), with some rules for connecting information in certain, approved, ways.
Can computers calculate faster than people? Certainly. Can computers react to situations (stimuli, information) faster than people? Certainly. Does making most daily decisions in human life require intelligence? Not really – a simple set of decision making algorithms (like call center decision trees) can make satisfactory choices for most people for most things – this is why so many functions of humans can be automated – because they are associative tasks which require training (memory and decisions rules), not true cognition – solving unique problems. (Even this distinction is not well understood.)
They are not dealing with true intelligence, IMHO, and it is certainly not consciousness by any definition. This is all reminiscient of the “atomic energy will save the world” silliness of the 1950s. Lots of smoke and mirrors to get public support behind the programs the elite wants.
The good thing about all the AI nonsense is that it will force the debate about what it means to be human, and where we fit into the Universe, especially if we make a point of pushing it that direction.
I have to agree with Musk and others that trusting such systems will be disastrous, as we are seeing in the medical arena.
It was Pythagoras who coined the term “philosophy”. He was not only associated with genius but also carried a magical and religious aura. He changed Thales, nature follows orderly rules to, follows mathematical rules.
My, how far we come?
On the verge of IoT & it’s billions of sensors that will create an ambient intelligence network that thinks, senses, & feels and contributes profoundly to the knowable universe.
A phenomenon of convergence, where bits from the digital realm are fusing with atoms in the physical world. A world where the difference between online & offline are fading swiftly.
Every new technology for thinking involves a trade off.
How to keep balance between heaven and earth and at the intersection of yin and yang, when both appear to become one? The word ji literally means the border or boundary.
Correlative thinking is yingyang thinking. The human body/mind bears the same rhythm and properties as the greater cosmic body/being.
It looks like those seeking knowledge lack wisdom. They couldn’t even begin to ask the right questions. They should know that power is a trap most wicked. Few can handle it; if any. Our forefather’s wisdom was to separate it. Today, they want to concentrate it and amplify it.
The apt quote here is/
Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.
Unfortunately, in “their” destruction,
there is no exclusivity clause.
Yep the Ben Rich rule if they’re floating these ideas in public now. How far ahead are they really today Donavan’s Brain the Talosians from the first Star Trek pilot awash in their fantasies who can’t remember or are unable use their technology. Our elites are already spaced out this technology would only make their pathology worse and enhance their final solution dreams that endanger the rest of us already.
If you believe that the black world is decades ahead of what’s released in the public domain, then doesn’t this imply that this has already been developed and implemented? And if so, to what extent? Let’s face it, these elites have been exhibiting ideas of grandeur and superiority complexes over the masses for some time now.
I know it sounds ‘out there’ but take a look at the pictures linked below and it raises the possibility that people in power have already received their implants…
http://www.helpfreetheearth.com/news550_scar.htmlchildhood-accident-operation/
Quoting Spiderman, the movie, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Substitute intelligence for power, it then becomes a matter of how you define that responsibility. With that amount of intelligence and the psychopathy that would, most likely, accompany it, these individuals just might develop a “godlike” complex; this may be some of what we are witnessing with the “elites” and their breakaway civilization now, given their suspected scientific advancements over the rest of humanity.
We have way too many “gods” as it is, adding more of this ilk will only make problems much worse, as “gods” have very little in common with man, as history has shown us over and over. There are indications that these ancient “gods” either left the planet voluntarily, or were force to leave at times, and at times were killed off by humanity for the crimes against humanity they committed. Some may still remain with us hidden amongst us as the “elites” or the power behind them.
Humanity, or any other species for that matter, doesn’t take slavery very well, hence our violent past since the advent of “civilization” (a fancier term for slavery of a sort). We may just have to rid ourselves of them again in the future, as many times as it takes till we remember the lessons of the past.