In the TED Talk byYuval Harari: "Techno-Religions and Silicon
Prophets", Yuval raises the question about what happens when we discover
that most humans become useless with the rise of computers and robots
that are smarter and much more capable at any task than humans.
In a nutshell, computers need to be set to the task of continuing to explore the question of human value. Humans have many more capabilities and undeveloped depth than we give ourselves credit for, and as we are led to explore that depth and develop these capabilities, it may be that we develop a symbiosis with machines rather than get replaced by them. Our lifestyles could be much different as a result, however,.
To survive, humans have evolved a plethora of capabilities that are each used in small measure to create maintainable living conditions. Watching and listening for threats, using tools to sculpt what we need, various expressions for social interactions, and much more are used efficiently and sparingly to create the currently ideal living conditions.
As surviving has become easier, and the fulfillment of our needs has taken less and less effort, some people have explored these capabilities in more depth and evolved their uses. What may have started out as a gutteral dirge evolved into beautiful performances of music and dance. What was once a rock hit on stone to smash and tenderize hunted game became hammers used to build ships and cars and houses and planes. Seeing far into the distance by squinting evolved into microscopes and telescopes that far extend our abilities to explore the known universe.
Societal organization has evolved tremendously as well. Manipulation and power struggles have evolved into a law-based social cooperation. Psychological understandings and usages have deepened. Sales and negotiation techniques are continuously evolved to treat people with dignity and to work to get around their objections to a sale.
Each of these areas can continue to improve and evolve and improve human society, as long as people are needed to create and maintain that society.
One area of promise that is overlooked and belittled by humanity currently is their ability to 'sense and work with subtle energies'. This includes prayer and the ability to work 'miracles', and the existence of resonances, where the imaginative capabilities of people can be used to clarify and refine ideas until they feel really good, and really true. With computers becoming more and more able to read and determine people's mental and emotional states, and even becoming matchmakers (as Yuval has suggested), computers may also be called upon to match up groups of people to work through various questions and problems. In other words, find new ways to 'network' people for solving big, intractable problems.
It is known that some people have telekinetic abilities as well as psychic abilities and the ability to 'travel' and 'see' across time. It may be possible to find ways to encourage and build these capabilities within groups of people working together as a group mind, each providing their own talents to the group. And computers can collect data on these human experiences and, together with humans, invent new uses for these abilities.
The possibilities are limitless.
In a nutshell, computers need to be set to the task of continuing to explore the question of human value. Humans have many more capabilities and undeveloped depth than we give ourselves credit for, and as we are led to explore that depth and develop these capabilities, it may be that we develop a symbiosis with machines rather than get replaced by them. Our lifestyles could be much different as a result, however,.
To survive, humans have evolved a plethora of capabilities that are each used in small measure to create maintainable living conditions. Watching and listening for threats, using tools to sculpt what we need, various expressions for social interactions, and much more are used efficiently and sparingly to create the currently ideal living conditions.
As surviving has become easier, and the fulfillment of our needs has taken less and less effort, some people have explored these capabilities in more depth and evolved their uses. What may have started out as a gutteral dirge evolved into beautiful performances of music and dance. What was once a rock hit on stone to smash and tenderize hunted game became hammers used to build ships and cars and houses and planes. Seeing far into the distance by squinting evolved into microscopes and telescopes that far extend our abilities to explore the known universe.
Societal organization has evolved tremendously as well. Manipulation and power struggles have evolved into a law-based social cooperation. Psychological understandings and usages have deepened. Sales and negotiation techniques are continuously evolved to treat people with dignity and to work to get around their objections to a sale.
Each of these areas can continue to improve and evolve and improve human society, as long as people are needed to create and maintain that society.
One area of promise that is overlooked and belittled by humanity currently is their ability to 'sense and work with subtle energies'. This includes prayer and the ability to work 'miracles', and the existence of resonances, where the imaginative capabilities of people can be used to clarify and refine ideas until they feel really good, and really true. With computers becoming more and more able to read and determine people's mental and emotional states, and even becoming matchmakers (as Yuval has suggested), computers may also be called upon to match up groups of people to work through various questions and problems. In other words, find new ways to 'network' people for solving big, intractable problems.
It is known that some people have telekinetic abilities as well as psychic abilities and the ability to 'travel' and 'see' across time. It may be possible to find ways to encourage and build these capabilities within groups of people working together as a group mind, each providing their own talents to the group. And computers can collect data on these human experiences and, together with humans, invent new uses for these abilities.
The possibilities are limitless.
