Rational Capitulationism

As far as I can tell, contemporary society—from pop culture to academia—is infused with a paradoxical mixture of technological optimism and pessimism.

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Complete entry

Posted by P. A. DEPLAND  on  12/29  at  04:44 AM

Young though you are, you have met and recognized TRUTH. I feel you should re-present it written for the lay level who would then be able to appreciate it for it's innate common sense. Notify me if you arrive at a better final SOLUTION than limiting the human population to below the eternal carrying capacity of each celestial sphere we may touch. Doing so should should then ensure QUALITY of EXISTENCE for all organisms. Of course to secure governmental cooperation we must first genetically isolate and annihilate selfishness, greed and utter stupidity.

Posted by Julian Morrison  on  12/29  at  12:27 PM

I'd like to suggest a third view: continuous improvement leading to discontinuous opportunities. Technology extends our reach and, intermittently, puts new levels of well-being within our grasp. This doesn't imply we actually will reach for them.

We did reach for sanitation and modern medicine - millions are happier as a result. We have not yet reached for feeding the world - millions continue unhappy.

Neither of the above would even be possible without 20th century levels of technology.

Posted by Hervé Musseau  on  12/31  at  06:53 AM

Do not make the mistake of idealizing the past - would you really want to live in pre-Neolithic time, running naked in the savanna for 20 years among lions and tigers and bears?

Regarding existential risks, you are right that there are more as new technologies arise. However, also note that historically humanity has come close to extinction, for natural reasons rather than technological ones. Also note that while we create new extinction threats of our own, we also mitigate other ones against which we heretofore had no control over (eg asteroid watching).

Regarding the rising of new problems, like toxins in the water, you may be mixing two things, ie technological progress (we invent new medicines and other substances that can be used for good) and its societal use/misuse (the capitalist system and its overconsumption model with short-term profit vision is not very performant in this matter).

I have not read your complete article in the JET, but from this presumably shortened version I wonder if you've read enough on the subject yet (quoting Bostrom is a good start, Carrico...). Good thoughts though, and nice conclusion.

Posted by Technopian  on  02/16  at  12:38 AM

"no transhistorical correlation between technological development and human well-being"
Er... say what?

"a significant majority of the problems that technology has solved are themselves caused or at least enabled by prior technological systems. Such problems are in some sense "technogenic.""

Don't mistake life for something that it isn't. Life is a technology, therefore every problem is technogenic. It's just more complex than our present ones. Evolved or designed doesn't matter - it's all just nano (or Planck scale) machinery. Life causes problems. They can be fixed by either technology or reverting to a universe where no life exists.

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