Clipmarks | Transhumanism Clips

Intelligence and Empathy

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:09:18 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: He stresses that the human mind does not qualify as a completely ‘General Intelligence’ but lies somewhere on the spectrum between AGI on one end and ‘Narrow AI’ on the other. This is one of several reasons why he does not expect AGI to be achieved by mimicking the workings of the human brain.

He describes how our brains fool us into believing that we understand our actions and decisions when we don’t. And why modeling an AI too closely on the human brain might make it too, vulnerable to false notions.
He also says, ‘I think virtual worlds are going to be absolutely critical to the development of Artificial General Intelligence.’ As well as ‘Right now connecting AI’s to virtual worlds is probably the best way to get an AI to have a general human-like embodied experience.’

Clip Source: ieet.org

Ben Goertzel, noted scientist, author, futurist and pioneer in the field of Artificial Intelligence, is today’s featured guest. Topics he discusses include: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the singularity, transhumanism, human immortality and how long he expects to live, and why (like your host) he is a founding member of the Order of Cosmic Engineers.

Highlights of the interview include: The mechanism of human empathy seems to have been identified, and so can be reproduced in AI; even AI that is radically different in its thinking from human beings. Doctor Goertzel explains that this empathy is not based on emotion, and he emphasizes that he does not want to create an AI which is governed by its emotions.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 13, 2008 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 74 minutes]

MP3

Tags: intelligece, ai, empathy

The error of conteporary ethics: values from nowhere?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:56:31 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Looking at the above list, we can see certain regularities; they don’t constitute a random collection of properties for a human life to have. One thing that comes to mind when browsing through the list is that a large number of these terminal values are also quite widely useful instrumental values. In fact, they remind me of my own idea: Universal Instrumental Values (UIVs)

In attempting to answer the question “are there goals which are objectively good to adopt, and if so what are they?”, we should take note of the apparent regularity here: when choosing their notion of terminal value, people tend to opt for those qualities that also happen to be instrumental values for a wide variety of other goals.

This observation supports the idea that there are objective values in our existence: - a priori, people can choose whatever terminal values they want, but a posteriori they usually choose UIVs; things that are just universally useful. And these things are, of course, dictated by the

Clip Source: transhumangoodness.blogspot.com

Transhumanism has been defined as the use of technology to improve human existence, to make our lives better. One of the most problematic issues for advocates of transhumanism is the issue of what exactly one means by "better".

There are many different views amongst specialists (moral philosophers) and non-specialists as to what count as good outcomes in our world. Is there a rational way of deciding what our goals ought to be?

It is my opinion that contemporary philosophy makes a category error which renders this question impossible to answer in the affirmative.

This error is the division between terminal values and instrumental values, or in other words between means and ends.

Terminal values are treated like axioms in a formal mathematical system: you are free to choose them arbitrarily, then the real world dictates which instrumental values you must pursue to achieve them.

The SEP article on intrinsic vs extrinsic values lists the following common choices of terminal values:

Tags: transhumanism, ethics, values

Biocultural Evolution in the 21st Century: The Evolutionary Role of Religion

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:17:45 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes
clipper's remarks:

My outline introduces the concept of biocultural evolution, particularly with reference to the Twentieth Century and the prospects for the Twenty-First Century. I then explore the concept of complex distributed systems to characterize all highly creative processes in both culture and nature. Subsequently, I turn to the problem of complexity horizons and the challenge that these present for traditional moral reflections. Humans are then characterized as a Lamarckian wild card in epic of evolution. I close by discussing the evolutionary role of religion.

See source for the full paper:
http://metanexus.net/magazine/ArticleDetail/tabid/68/id/8779/Default.aspx

Clip Source: metanexus.net

Biocultural Evolution in the 21st Century: The Evolutionary Role of Religion

By William Grassie

human evolution bypasses genetics and allows for intentional culturally-acquired adaptations and their cultural transmission between generations in a Lamarckian evolutionary pattern. As humans are about to embark upon large-scale genetic engineering of other species and ourselves, even as we have already engaged in large-scale environmental engineering, our biocultural evolution becomes literal and directed Lamarckism. This new pattern of evolution now dominates all life on Earth and places the values and intentions of humans as the driving force in the future evolution of the planet.

Tags: k21st, religion, biology, culture, evolution, technology, transhumanism, future, humanity

Scientists: Humans and machines will merge in future

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:31:38 GMT

clipped by: Newfman
clipper's remarks: The end result would be a new form of "posthuman" life with beings that possess qualities and skills so exceedingly advanced they no longer can be classified simply as humans.
Bostrom declined to predict an exact time frame when this revolutionary biotechnological metamorphosis might occur. "Maybe it will take eight years or 200 years," he said. "It is very hard to predict."

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Story Highlights
Nick Bostrom says technology will let humans manipulate their own biology
Ray Kurzweil predicts humans will be mostly non-biological by around 2030
Biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics could merge mankind with machines
Next Article in Technology »

Bostrom is a philosopher and a leading thinker of transhumanism, a movement that advocates not only the study of the potential threats and promises that future technologies could pose to human life but also the ways in which emergent technologies could be used to make the very act of living better.

"We want to preserve the best of what it is to be human and maybe even amplify that," Bostrom said.

Transhumanists, according to Bostrom, anticipate an era in which biotechnology, molecular nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence and other new types of cognitive tools will be used to amplify our intellectual capacity, improve our physical capabilities and even enhance our emotional well-being.

Buddhism, H+ and the Myth of the Authentic Self

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:44:22 GMT

clipped by: Mohir

Clip Source: ieet.org

“The longer our lives, the more we’ll have a chance to see that there’s no self living them.” - James Hughes. What is Transhumanism and how is it related to Buddhist practice? Will technology enable us to radically extend our lifespans, help us control our thoughts and emotions, and bring about the potential to upload our consciousness into virtual reality spaces? And if so, what are the deeper implications for our contemplative traditions. Will these advances actually support the deepening of wisdom? According to professor James Hughes, a Buddhist practitioner and leading voice in the Transhumanist movement, these advances will enable us to deconstruct the notion and experience we have of an “authentic self” and will support the development of happiness, and the cessation of suffering. ( MP3)

Tags: transhumanism, buddhism

Mad scientist

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:48:32 GMT

clipped by: zadoz
clipper's remarks: eugenics...good or bad ?

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

mad scientists (transhumanism)

Tags: eugenics

Transhumanism vs. Trans-Systemism

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:04:31 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: What exactly is this “human” that we are supposed to extrapolate into the future? Is it an individual animal? A member of a species? A self-aware “software” that resides in the fore brain of an advanced mammal? Several combined pieces of software? Software combined with external knowledge and information? Does it depend on nature? Can it be distinguished form the system in which it resides? Can it exist without the broader system?

********

Perhaps the most critical challenge of transhumanist philosophy is exactly this: To offer a vision of the future human, the human of beyond. Transhumanism will not grow into a mature philosophy without defining and describing the possible favorable directions of human evolution, both as individuals and as a specie.

Clip Source: memebox.com

Fueled by accelerating change, transhumanism (H+), the belief that humans can and should consciously evolve past our current limitations, is on the rise. It’s a safe bet that over the coming years this budding philosophy, or memeplex, will make its way into the minds of millions of humans, maybe more. However it lines up with reality, transhumanism will exert a big impact on our future (barring a near-term cataclysmic event, of course).

However, when attempting to simulate the future, particularly a hyper-fast Kurzweilian future or Ted Modis’ moderately slower future , I’ve found that I cannot embrace a wholly transhumanist-compatible view of the years to come because transhumanism, unsurprisingly, fails to provide an adequate definition of the term “human”. (cont.)

Tags: transhumanism, transhumanist philosophy

Duality of Man & Our Responsibility to Our Species

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:22:15 GMT

clipped by: fleshcanvas
clipper's remarks: The careful task of becomming unbiased allows the course of balancing the self to run smoothly & unfettered. Those whom endeavor to seek only the positive (or negative, for that matter) will find disappointment in the face of objective truth. Pain is not an enemy to be evaded or eradicated. Suffering will come regardless of efforts to avoid it. Rather than to circumvent suffering, detaching the ego to step outside the self allows one to surpass it & learn from their mistakes, lest they foolishly relive them. Remember that the universe is impersonal, & will continue to unfold as it will with or without you. Only then can the subject detach from the moment holding them back (stasis) & develop into a more appropriate, thus more comfortable state. This is nature’s objective. Rising above the situation awakens our ability to create our own reality.

Clip Source: www.fleshcanvas.net

But to live only this truth, ignorant of evolutions insistence, is to invite torment from the darkened corners of our perception. To over identify with our animal self is to ensure that we are going nowhere. The human whom chooses the Path of Least Resistance can only passively react to stimuli. They are doomed to perpetuate a static cycle of woe which will never end until true sentience is employed. Taking responsibility & choosing to act can be our only salvation. This expression of cognizance is how we survived the Ice Age & it is also the only hope for Transhumanism to become a reality. Being enamored of negativity ensures entropy & eventually leads to the death of the life force. If you must be validated, try coping with the commitment to the quest for your own tranquility.

Peace is not the objective, objectivity is peace.

The Hedonistic Imperative

Tue, 06 May 2008 01:34:35 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: This manifesto outlines a strategy to eradicate suffering in all sentient life. The abolitionist project is ambitious, implausible, but technically feasible. It is defended here on ethical utilitarian grounds. Genetic engineering and nanotechnology allow Homo sapiens to discard the legacy-wetware of our evolutionary past. Our post-human successors will rewrite the vertebrate genome, redesign the global ecosystem, and abolish suffering throughout the living world.

Clip Source: hedweb.com

The Hedonistic Imperative outlines how genetic engineering and nanotechnology will abolish suffering in all sentient life.

The abolitionist project is hugely ambitious but technically feasible. It is also instrumentally rational and morally urgent. The metabolic pathways of pain and malaise evolved because they served the fitness of our genes in the ancestral environment. They will be replaced by a different sort of neural architecture - a motivational system based on heritable gradients of bliss. States of sublime well-being are destined to become the genetically pre-programmed norm of mental health. It is predicted that the world's last unpleasant experience will be a precisely dateable event.

The feasibility of its abolition turns its deliberate retention into an issue of social policy and ethical choice.

Tags: the hedonistic imperative, transhumanism, transcendence

I am a transhumanist, thanks

Mon, 05 May 2008 09:21:56 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: I say, fear not. If you have clearly transhumanist beliefs, like the notion that human enhancement is coming in the next few decades and will be a big deal, then don’t be afraid to call yourself one.

As Dr. Wittgenstein, one of my favorite philosophers ever, used to argue, words are just labels we fill with our own content. To think that a word has any inherent meaning aside from its use in language is absurd.

Clip Source: www.acceleratingfuture.com

I have a suitcase. Inside of it is concern for the future, an Enlightenment approach to technology, an embrace of humanism with a qualifier to aim higher, fascination for cyborgs and cybernetics, interest in Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence Augmentation, technoprogressive bioethics (yes Dale, your term has been hijacked), a desire to freeze myself if necessary, interest in molecular manufacturing, self-replicating machines, Big Picture, long-term thinking, and a sense of self-depreciating humor.

What should I name that suitcase?

To anyone confident about their own ideas, and unafraid of naysayers, the answer is a no-brainer: transhumanism. Transhumanism is the philosophy that we adhere to, the suitcase word we use to describe our fascinating interests, which are often relevant to the future of humanity, and often even sanctioned by mainstream news outlets. (During the last ten years.)

Tags: transhumanism, ai

FAQ Front Page - OA ClipSeries

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:19:35 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator
clipper's remarks: Now, you can either go to one of the above pages, or scroll down for the
Grand List of FAQs (so far)
Yes, more are being added all the time...

Clip Source: www.orionsarm.com

Orion's Arm - FAQs page

FAQs page - Introduction to OA - Explaining the Setting - generic questions and answers about the Orion's Arm Universe and the OA setting in general. This is a good place to start if you are new to OA.

Technical Questions

OA and Transhumanism

Miscellaneous Questions

Why are certain things excluded? - Ok, chances are that you will notice that some of your favourite memes and themes are not to be found in OA

Why is there no FTL in the OA Universe?

Wormhole FAQs Page

Answering Criticism FAQs Page

The OA Community - O.K., now we have all that out of the way, here is some stuff about us.

Participating and Contributing - Anyone can join and become a part of this project!

Terms, Copyright, and Submissions Guide

Tags: faq, oa, orionsarmproject, clipseries, science fiction, scifi, worldbuilding

A Non-Half-Assed Response to “One Half a Manifesto” culture

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:29:41 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Interesting read for those interested in transhumanist and singularity issues

Clip Source: www.acceleratingfuture.com

Well, it has been seven and a half years since Jaron Lanier’s “One Half of a Manifesto”, but I thought, why not respond to it right this very second? Better late than never. This response is for Mr. Lanier and anyone else who is interested. Below is an image of Mr. Lanier getting jiggy with a VR interface.

Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in virtual reality, musician, and currently the lead scientist for the National Tele-Immersion Initiative, worries about the future of human culture more than the gadgets. In his “Half a Manifesto” he takes on those he terms the “cybernetic totalists” who do not seem “to not have been educated in the tradition of scientific skepticism.

I label myself a “so-called cybernetic totalist” in some of the responses that follow because I meet the criteria for the term as used by Mr. Lanier, although I object to its rhetorical implications.

n my response below I will argue that scientific skepticism has been duly applied to our claims.

Tags: transhumanism, singularity, future

Spiritual Transcendence in Transhumanism

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:15:29 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: jetpress.org

The evolution of science and technology to the next several levels must include a harmonious symbiosis between science and religion. Human civilization has so far shown a stereotyped conflict between either. Both science and religion must be regarded as equally important methods for spiritual transcendence in transhumanism. This paper discusses how religion can complement the ideals of transhumanism if looked from a new perspective. The paper draws primarily on Eastern religious thought, particularly Hinduism, to explain why it is important for transhumanists and progressive futurists of science and technology to find common ground with religion in order to evolve. It is important for transhumanism to extract the transcendent messages from different religions. It also becomes important for religious thinkers to draw from the ideals of transhumanist philosophies in order to allow the survival of progressive religious thought into the undefined future.

Tags: transcendence, transhumanism, religion

The open-source person?

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:49:50 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: transhumangoodness.blogspot.com

Over on Accelerating Future, IConrad writes:

You’re thinking of the mind as a software problem rather than as a hardware problem. One simple way to ensure Friendliness in a human is to ensure that empathy is augmented as much as — or more so than — intelligence. And as there is a neurological basis for empathy, that’s a fairly safe approach.

I think that a good compromise solution might be to try to understand the human mind using brain scanning techniques, and then to implement a human mind fully in software, from scratch, with no copying from any one particular human involved. This would effectively be an open source person, and would have several benefits IMO:

The open-source person wouldn’t have any hidden personality traits that went in unnoticed, the open-source person’s values and personality could be mutually agreed upon by all interested parties [perhaps even by an international treaty]

Tags: transhumanism, goodness, open source