Dropping the pill

in #thoughts5 years ago

Are the most intelligent the ones who have the most, know the most, laugh the most? I do not know, but it is something to contemplate on.

I like to dabble in conversations about better worlds and utopias and the more likely dystopias we will face before they come about. In my opinion, artificial intelligence will play a large role in either the destruction of our species as we know it to be or the resolution of it but, it is something outside of us, an external event.

I was having a coffee with a colleague and friend the other day and as he and I often do, we soon turned the conversation to the future and the possibilities and threats we see coming.

We like to lay blame as a species, we like to find the causes of our miseries and find avenues of escape, anything to stop us looking at our role in the situation. but, even when we find a scapegoat for our emotions, if we look closely, what do we find?

My daughter, a book-loving person, once tore a page out of one of her 'Spot, the Dog' books and was subsequently told off. But, what is the issue here, is it that she did it on purpose to destroy, accidentally or, she just did not understand what the future experience with one of her favorite books now torn looks like?

When we look at the world, the errors, the failures, the damage and violence we do to each other and ourselves, is it because we are terrible, evil? Or, is it because we do not understand ourselves well enough or the part we play in the future ramifications of our actions? For me, education is always key but, up until this point in time, we are far too stupid to realize and create solutions.

When speaking with my friend over coffee, I described a scenario where a small group of people were given a pill and granted super intelligence and what may come about. He thinks that with such power, they will battle it out and quickly dominate the rest of the species, essentially enslaving them.

I disagree. This is the thinking of us now, the uneducated, the inexperienced in such matters, the one's who are potentially yet to understand what 'for our own good' truly means.

When I look at the most intelligent among us from history and the present, there seems to be a trend that runs through nearly all, even though they are incapable of achieving it, unable to think far enough. Peace, Unity, Community.

They may have different ideas about how this looks but, they are almost unanimous that this is the goal. Einstein had an IQ of 160, what if we double it, triple it, what would he have discovered? Would he have thought of the 'right words' to bring us all together?

Unlikely, for we all need different words no doubt to take us to the understanding he may have reached. what this means is that we cannot wait to be saved, we must save ourselves. Waiting for an external event to save us is foolish but, searching for that event need not be. Perhaps, this is what Einstein and others like him were doing and even though he failed, it moved humanity further along the path. Whether they realized it or not, it does not matter as virtue is virtuous even without acknowledgement.

But, what of the group that have access to the pill of Super intelligence? What will they discover, what conclusions will they reach? Will they mercilessly enslave the rest or, will they now have the capacity to understand the solution is simple, it is understanding itself.

With an intellectual awakening like none ever experienced by the species before, will they realize that there is only one way, to awaken all. Peace, Unity and community. With their supercharged minds holding unforeseen visions and abilities, how long until they give the pill to others, how long until they can flip the switch and illuminate humanity?

Most cannot imagine this world as most if granted such power will use it for personal gain and assume others would too. And, they are most likely right but, they are thinking from an unenlightened position, their thoughts aren't from the mind of the supercharged. This makes it impossible to understand what is in the darkness that may become so blindingly obvious when the light goes on.

We tend to think the worst of people for we ourselves are those people. We may operate at different levels, it may present in various ways but, we see what we think we know and that is what we fear in ourselves. It takes one to know one as they say but, a supercharged mental capacity at this level is so far, unknowable to us.

Our thinking limits us, our thoughts place ceilings on how far we can go, how much we can do as a species, but as our understanding develops, the roof gets shifted upward. At what point is it high enough that we recognize ourselves in the mirror and find the solution to our problems?

It is inching upward though, day, year, decade and century at a time. With the advancements in AI and gene splicing technology, how long until that switch is found and enlightenment is not only within reach, but superimposed or genetically implanted? How far can we go if we are unlocked and free at such levels with the understanding; we are all in this together.

I do not know, I am too limited of mind and knowledge to see what that may look like. You may see different to me but, in this scenario, you are likely wrong also, no matter how you feel about it. It is just too different from how we think, what we can imagine and who we are now.

However, we are on the path and tomorrow, we will be slightly different, tomorrow we may have taken another small step and at some point, one of us may uncover the switch. From that point on, logic and reasoning could lead decisions whilst the heart holds us united. Perhaps only then as a species we can, Live long and prosper.

All of us.

Taraz
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I think it is more ignorance than stupidity as one is a chosen trait and the other given... In retrospect, we are most well off than we have been in the past as a species. While scary to consider this given what we see today; it is more the fact of available information due to the spread of technology. Evolution will continue until we achieve what is needed to survive but what is unsure is whether our ignorance will catch up to us and destroy what sustains us (Earth) despite no longer destroying each other?

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While scary to consider this given what we see today; it is more the fact of available information due to the spread of technology.

Yep.

I also think that ignorance may be potentially overcome with intelligence. IQ might not be a great indicator overall but it is what there is at the moment. We are now heavily directing our own evolution through a whole lot of introduced factors, including the pollution we create. who knows what genetic code gets triggered and what it will present.

A very nice piece, sir!

From that point on, logic and reasoning could lead decisions whilst the heart holds us united.

I think 'letting the heart lead decisions, and using logic and reasoning to keep us united' is a much more healthy perspective for humanity.

The perspective you offer leads to has gotten us where we are now, in this mess.
Morale decay (heart), has been supplanted by logic. (the most cost effective, with the human element being the higher priority, thus taken out...).
Not a good illustration, really - but you see my point..?

Emotions are born in the brain.

The perspective you offer has gotten us where we are now, in this mess.

Not really considering what I have said has never come close to being in existence, it is unknowable at this point and intelligence doesn't necessarily take a straight line path in decision making quality. As far as we know, hitting 300 IQ provides immediate enlightenment by default. still about 130 IQ from the current peak off from finding out though. :D

IQ has it's uses , but it doesn't equate to 'providing enlightenment.'
It is far to blunt a tool for that.

The higher the IQ the _less_accurately predictive, it becomes...
(IQ doesn't take into account 'free will', for example

It is a far more accurate tool to see the effects of lower intelligence within societies/ groups.

The higher the IQ the _less_accurately predictive, it becomes...
(IQ doesn't take into account 'free will', for example

That is an assumption based on the known. As said, no one knows what happens at extremely high IQs.

....As far as we know,

but we don't know...???

All assumptions are based on the known!

In my experience peace comes from realizing my purpose and actualizing it every day. Unity is brought when a group of people are actualizing their purpose. Community is activated, when people in a group think about their purpose as bigger than themselves.

Posted using Partiko Android

In my experience peace comes from realizing my purpose and actualizing it every day.

When one knows what their purpose is, there is no time for anything else but peace. It might be a lot of hard work of course but, there is peace in that too if it is the right work.

the question for myself. am i ready for the changes thats already happening right now..

how about you?

Posted using Partiko iOS

I adapt constantly :)

yeahh i think we have to adapt

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