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If Only We Were Smarter!
The history of our belief in progress is a complicated one. This belief first arose during the eighteenth century Enlightenment and became a central feature of the Western worldview until circa the mid-twentieth century, when the first anthropogenic “existential risk” was introduced. Although progressionism suffered a serious blow with the inauguration of the Atomic Age, a renewed belief in the goodness and historical reality of techno-progress has reemerged within the transhumanist movement.
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COMMENTS
Posted by Louis on 03/20 at 06:16 PM
I wonder is the pathetic brevity of our individual existence responsible for the reason why increasing capacity for intelligence doesn't necessarily follow with wisdom? The wise die the inexperienced take over.
Posted by CygnusX1 on 03/21 at 06:48 AM
I would say that there was greater danger of thermo-nuclear warfare and world destruction during the early sixties to seventies. If you really feel that our apparent evolutionary intelligence is our doom, then there really isn't any point in progressing further is there? What is the point of human evolution, what is the aim for the progression of humanity?
I don't believe that intelligence is the threat, however as the masses become more educated they will naturally expect more, and demand more from society, and people need jobs and work to do - period. Therefore it is societies and economies which need to evolve to encompass this equality of lifestyle and education and the global sharing of knowledge. Either that or the masses and world population will need to be subdued and repressed and held back from any cultural evolution.
Economics is the pernicious agent at work steadily depleting world resources. And capitalism and consumerism is at the heart of this erosion. Maybe we do all need to take a step back, control energy consumption and usage at a personal level and realise there is more to life than working all day long for the profit and goals of the few, and then pursuing techno-entertainment and escapism in our leisure. We are all guilty of this selfishness, and I certainly cannot function without my regular online fix.
We may be increasing our intelligence to some degree yet what are we actually learning?
Louis has a good point : perhaps we should be pursuing the goal of greater wisdom?
Wiki Quote : " Iodine deficiency is one of the leading cause of preventable mental retardation, producing typical reductions in IQ of 10 to 15 IQ points. It has been speculated that deficiency of iodine and other micronutrients may be a possible factor in observed differences in IQ between ethnic groups: see race and intelligence for a further discussion of this controversial issue."
The Lancet noted, "According to WHO, in 2007, nearly 2 billion individuals had insufficient iodine intake, a third being of school age. ... Thus iodine deficiency, as the single greatest preventable cause of mental retardation, is an important public-health problem."
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_deficiency
Posted by Mike Treder on 03/21 at 08:32 AM
What is the point of human evolution, what is the aim for the progression of humanity?
There is no intrinsic "point" to human evolution. That is, natural selection has no objective or goal in mind; it's merely a functional process that has resulted in increased intelligence for certain primates. Meanwhile, many other species, like cockroaches for example, have stagnated in intelligence for tens of millions of years yet continue to thrive.
And unless you are a theist or a believer in supernatural destiny, then you should not assume that there is an explicit "aim for the progression of humanity." At a basic level, after all, we are merely carriers for our genes, which don't care what else we do as long as we efficiently propagate. Even more basic than that, we are all just hosts for the bacteria within us, which actually outnumber our human cells by as many as ten to one.
Looking at it this way, the whole of human history, with our cultures and wars and cities and technologies, is only a side show.
Posted by CygnusX1 on 03/21 at 09:28 AM
@Mike
Re-phrased - "What is the point of "our goals and ideals for" human evolution, what is the aim for the progression of humanity?
You are correct regarding evolution in nature and human evolution and lack of intrinsic point concerning destinies therein, and I have re-phrased my sentence better to reflect my meaning. However, notice your points could be misconstrued by many devout theists as an argument against both techno-progressiveness and transhumanism, and any pursuit of genetic manipulation for humanity?
You don't have to be a believer in supernatural destiny or even a theist to have goals and ideals for humanity do you? Although I am a believer in spiritual and ethical evolution, as most folks can derive from my comments. You can still be an atheist, an existentialist and materialist and even a cynic, or merely a political animal and yet still value the progression of humanity over its destruction, or lack of evolution and growth in wisdom and intelligence? And is not the goal for us to rise above natural selection and nature's indifference for our evolution?
Why should there be no "aim for the progression of humanity"? I understand your points exactly, yet even you must believe that intelligence is not the real enemy, and even if it were dangerous to pursue greater intelligence this would not really stop us would it? And why should it? It is our human nature that has to be tamed, not our intelligence?
I respect the resilience of cockroaches, yet they do not have the intelligence or aspirations that we humans do, as sturdy as they are, they will most likely out-live us all. For the sake of those bacteria we have a responsibility to ensure we evolve and look after ourselves don't we?
Posted by Marianne Waldow on 03/21 at 10:06 AM
Good points all around. In the US, I think it would be a good idea to perpetuate the concept that "intelligence" is a good trait and that belief in "free-enterprise" does not mean simply being completely selfish. A start might be to encourage individuals to think beyond their own life spans.
Posted by TimeTraveler on 03/22 at 11:52 AM
The cycle for this time in human existance is coming to an end. Our destiny has nothing to do with the technoworld or world economies. Mankind has sowed the seeds of destruction of which there is no return. The economies of the world will soon implode under their own debt, along with world conflicts for control over land and resources that really belong to all of humanity, not to each sovereign country, but to all of us.
This system or reality we are experiencing is nothing but a holographic play, acted out by some very evil people. The final act is upon us, but they will be surprised by the outcome, for it will be nothing short of a new reality, where this new timeline will not envolve wars, killing, famine, or bounderies seperating one people from another. We are all made of the same star matter, and are all interconnected to the universe. We will realize this soon. There is no other way!
It is the defective human DNA of greed and corruption that has brought us to this point, where the crossroad lies before us. There was nothing we could have done over the past 6,000 years to have avoided this outcome. It's not that we need to get smarter, although eventually we will progress to using all of the human brain's capacity for intelligience, but we will be able to use this technology in conjuction with the true intelligience of the human consciousness, and the pure vibrational energy of the human heart. The inner prison walls are about to dissolve, and the true reality will be revealed to us.
We have come to a point in our society that the present system is antiquated and does not efficiently interact with the way humans live now, or the way we will live in the future. Our cities are old and very innefficient. New smaller communities will come forth that will be much more intune with the way humans will live. We will have free energy systems, and we will share the resources of this planet. There will be no monetary or political system to shackle us down. Usary will be in the past. It will be the arts, music, and the sciences that we will focus on, not materialism, or the ideologies of a very corrupt system.
It is time for the intelligience of the human heart, and the energy we will inherit soon, and then becoming one with this planet and the rest of the universe, then we will we truly realize our human destiny. We will carry on, and take the technoworld with us, but we will use it differently than we use it now.
So it's not about getting smarter, its about simplifying the way you live and look at this world. Its time to treat this planet as we should have when eons ago it sprouted life here and brought about a sustainable place for us to survive. It is nothing short of a miracle that we have such a beautiful blue planet that has all the right ingredients to support life, and has the resources to provide us with the neccesities we need to survive. It doesn't happen that often in this chaotic place we call the cosmos. We need to cherish what we have, and prepare for the next transformation of our spirit or souls.
The universe works in cycles, and we are coming to the end of this cycle. Our Earth , our solar system, are traveling thru this galaxy, and the cycle we are approaching will change everything. If you don't understand this or believe it will be so, that is fine. For your time to awaken will come later, there will be another go around till you awaken to the future that lies ahead. We will be waiting for you, and you will not be dissappointed!
Its time to take a step back, take a quantum breath, empty all the clutter, and just listen to your heart. Time will slow down, and you will be ready to experience a new way of existing.
Posted by Me on 03/22 at 09:54 PM
Actually I have to disagree.
The problem is not intelligence, but arrogance, ego-centrism and its parent of generic and basic egotism. Intelligence tends to breed intellectual arrogance, but is actually definable by conscious control and subjugation of this definitive limitation of potential. Arrogance is an inherent Achilles heel towards intelligence.
Egotism leads us to the conclusion that WE are representative of the ultimate possible development, concerning intelligence, that has ever graced humanity. Arrogantly, we ignore any evidence to the contrary, feats which we can but stare at in confounded wonder at how such 'primitives' could accomplish which we can BARELY duplicate our own selves, DESPITE our current level of technology. Discs of radioactive green anomalous glass buried beneath Indian jungles, other artifacts which we could only duplicate with very modern technologies.
I could continue indefinitely.
Posted by Shane on 06/01 at 09:01 PM
I'm more inclined to agree with Mike, there is no "point" and the only purpose you could argue is for the continuation of the human species. Therefore the problem would be obstacles to that continuation. But couldn't our intelligence still be subject to natural selection? Couldn't our alliances or identities whether religious or political, artistic or technical all factor in the to natural selection in ways we are completely incapable of understanding?
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