It’s nice to think that in the history of the universe in the greatest probably likelihood there have been at least 100,000 other civilizations just as advanced as ours who were just as utterly convinced of their importance in the universe right up until the moment when they stopped existing – Viet Le
I recently read an article titled Merely Human? That’s So Yesterday by Ashlee Vance of the New York Times. It’s a long piece, detailing the Singularity movement spearheaded by the likes of Silicon Valley, Google, Microsoft, NASA, and other technology entrepreneurs. In particular, there was a lengthy discussion of Mr. Raymond Kurzweil, a American inventor and futurist who in his own words, believes “we will transcend all the limitations of our biology” through singularity, for “that is what it means to be human – to extend who we are.” He and likewise others believe that technological ingenuity has the potential to solve worldwide problems, that they can create the greatest reset button in the history of mankind. And after I finished reading, all I could think of was this:
Hadn’t I heard this before?
My mind revved back and toggling through past history lessons, I remembered again and again similar declarations made by proud men who strut forth their innovations and said “ha-HA! This will solve society’s problems! Now we will have a greater and brighter future because of ___ !” It’s like a broken record, except each repetition is a slight variation of the previous motif:
• Hunter gatherers diverged from nomadic life after farming and agriculture was developed for more sustainable and constant food supplies – then came the problem of irrigation and creating set communities, eventually societies that were dependent on their existing environment and paving the way to economics of trade and monetary values…
• Railroads, factories, streetcars and automobiles of the Industrial revolution developed for increased transportation, mobility and efficiency – then came social and health problems with smoke, fumes, barriers of old infrastructure and unregulated labor and production, and markedly establishes the origin of human dependence on natural carbon sources for engine combustion, petroleum, and the origins of rampant consumerism…
• Einstein postulates the theory of relativity, setting the basis for nuclear energy and the possibilities for alternative energy and other technology advancements – then WWII happens and Truman orders “Little Boy” on Hiroshima and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, staining history with the devastations of radiation poisoning and the threat of nuclear weaponry…
• Penicillin is widely used during WWII and changes medical history, as doctors now have a remedy for bacterial infections that were previously painful or even fatal – then overuse and overprescription of antibiotics results in bacterial antibiotic resistance, causing scientists to constantly come up with new antibiotics while bacteria continue to exponentially gain resistance due to horizontal gene transfer…
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) take off, creating hardier crops and animal products that are more sustainable in certain areas that traditionally would not cultivate or encourage such production, thus increasing the food supply in lacking areas – then came the problem of natural selection favoring stronger GMOs over other unmodified species, resulting in extinction of plant species if respective GMO breakouts accidentally occurred…
• Plastic surgery is developed to reconstruct and correct form and function of the human body that results from birth defects or injury – then public demand for cosmetic enhancement sky rockets after numerous Hollywood stars open up about their respective procedures, ultimately resulting in multiple botched surgeries, a surge in black market procedures and advents going overseas for cheaper and/or unregulated enhancements…
Kurzweil’s and Singularity’s assumptions are all too familiar, sharing the same aspirational notion that all previous developments envisioned. The problem however is not in his vision – for it is surely a grand and futurist one – but in how he perceives the world and how it operates – and that he truly believes that “ultimately, the entire universe will become saturated with our intelligence, [for] this is the destiny of the universe."
People will be people. Social, cultural, economic, religious and historical differences will always apply, and these may encourage or discourage the advancements that Singularity advocates. Yes, perhaps there is a possibility that with technology, we could live to be 700 years old – but for people who believe in the sacredness of the natural body, is this something they could ever endorse? How about the quality of life that goes with it? Will this development sustain in the course of change we cannot foresee?
Additionally, there’s the economics and politics that will invariably carve and shape how Kurzweil’s and his colleague’s vision to manifest: as libertarian as they may be, singularity advocates are still operating within a society, and invariably their developments will have major effects on the societal and cultural establishments. Maintaining a sort of purity to their idea is unrealistic if they are unwilling to communicate effectively with the public they hope to help; compromise isn’t necessarily going to happen if developers play their cards right and fully understand what they’re dealing with.
The singularity mentality is similar (if not identical) to that of James D. Watson, one of co-discoverers of DNA’s helical structure. Specifically, Watson believes that genetic engineering is the way to curing all of mankind’s problems – that in selecting genes for "intelligence” and “beauty,” humans can develop into improved beings after eliminating genetic diseases, “stupidity” and “ugliness” from the gene pool.
What Watson and Kurzweil share is a strong belief that their way of thought could universally mend all of humanity’s problems – all without accounting differences in social infrastructures and cultural values across the globe. Who is to say what “intelligence” or “beauty” really are? And who is to say we could ever achieve complete and utter control and understanding of how the universe operates?
No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for… for ten minutes! – Mr. Incredible in “The Incredibles,” 2004.
I am, of course, a skeptic of anyone who believes their vision creates a more perfected future. Countless times people have declared victory, proclaiming that the world’s problems seem to finally be under control – all until a new set of problems popped right back up in our unsuspecting faces, and then the cycle continues all over again.
So assuming Kurzweil’s vision comes to life (and I have no doubts a good number of his ideas could easily come to fruition), I am rest assured there will be associated social, cultural, and/or political issues that spring forth like the woes of Hamlet.
• Growing of viable transplant organs: human life can be extended, but there’s a good chance such viability could be privatized and prone to inflation and being exclusive only to those who can afford such.
• Cement-like goop that allows builders to erect an entire house: labor costs go down, but construction workers lose their jobs and now you’ve got a subset of the population out of work.
• Nanoscale machines injected into our bodies to constantly repair cells and their respective functions: we can now theoretically live to 700 hundred years old, but what are the implications for consummation, and more importantly how do we know if future technological development will render nano machines as obsolete or worse, exploitative and futile?
These are just some hypothesis as to what could happen should the exceptionally optimistic visions of Singularitarians come to life. I am in no position to discount their possibility, but I thoroughly believe that a holistic understanding as to the limits of control is necessary whenever one attempts to remedy and tackle worldwide problems. Social, cultural, political and historical considerations are equally as important as one’s understanding of science, engineering, medicine and technology, and vice versa.
We are a sentient and cognitive species – that is for certain. And though we may continuously strive towards the ultimates of truth and knowledge we are still subject to the universe and its very foundations. These are our innate limits – of our own construction and of the universe’s governing rules – that will continue to perpetuate strives towards greatness and problems that arise from such pursuits.
Though I am curious to see if the meaning of life really is 4.