#techno utopianism

[kenyatta]

In this perpetual nowness I would argue our eyes are frantically fixated on the future. What it will be, whether we are ready for it, whether we have the sufficient skills, the required resilience, the necessary technology, whether it will be The End or The Beginning, Utopia or Dystopia. So much so that the now is not given much care at all.

I SAW THE BLOCKCHAIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD, TURNED AROUND, AND WALKED BACK - Jaya Klara Brekke [pdf]

[squishyproductions]

Techno Utopianism

There's a real possibility that General AI is impossible.

General AI is when the AI understands what it's saying. These "AI" bots we see today do not understand what they are saying. All they can do is generate text based on what it has seen and then gauges from human reaction if it did it in a good way.

It's like you speaking random words from a language you don't understand AT ALL and then repeating the words that got smiles and laughs from the people around you. You have no comprehension of what you are saying but you can repeat what gets the response you're looking for and eventually you'll get so good at it the people listening would swear you seem to know what you're saying.

That's where AI is now. And the leap from repetition to understanding is MASSSSSSSIVE!!! It cannot be understated the gaping chasm between the two.

We are not close enough to even know if it's possible yet.

But we all assume that it will be. Because we've all been hyped up on technology. That it's this inevitable force of nature. That whatever we can imagine will be possible eventually.

We have NO IDEA how far technology can take us. It could get to the point where further advancement is too complicated and expensive to be worth it.

We're already seeing this in the CPU power front. Advancements in that area have slowed down tremendously in the past years because of this. Now there's talk of Quantum Computing replacing traditional computers and the CPU power creep will start anew. But there's also massive hurdles to quantum computing that may never be overcome. First of all, quantum computers are extremely sensitive to vibrations. How would you like a computer that bricks if sneeze near it? They also need a supply of super coolant so I hope you have enough liquid hydrogen to get you through that match!

This and its many other limitations may very well make it impossible to have your own personal quantum computer. They may only be viable in very controlled clean rooms. So that leaves us only with standard processors that we're already plateauing on.

That everything is possible is a utopian thinking at the best of times and a sleazy marketing ploy at the worst.

And no one wants to be the people who said cell phones were an impossible pipe dream. So there's massive incentive to buy into the bullshit because it's better to believe and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong.

Companies prey on that optimism and hope to sell you bullshit and to scare you. "Yes, there is no limit to what can be done and we control it so don't ask for higher wages just be thankful we still need you at all!"

This is why the very people pushing for AI advancement will tell you how dangerous AI is. How likely it is that it betrays us and takes over. Because they want you to think they have this enormous power at their finger tips and you can get in on the ground floor with an investment now, and for the love of god, stop asking for higher wages!

TLDR: Be more skeptical of technology. It's not magic or a god but we treat it like it is and grifters are more than happy to capitalize on that.

[transhumanextropian-blog]

Technological Utopianism

Technological utopianism (often called techno-utopianism or technoutopianism) refers to any ideology based on the premise that advances in science and technology will eventually bring about a utopia, or at least help to fulfill one or another utopian ideal. A techno-utopia is therefore a hypothetical ideal society, in which laws, government, and social conditions are solely operating for the benefit and well-being of all its citizens, set in the near- or far-future, when advanced science and technology will allow these ideal living standards to exist; for example, post-scarcity, transformations in human nature, the abolition of suffering and even the end of death.

Douglas Rushkoff, a leading theorist on technology and cyberculture claims that technology gives everyone a chance to voice their own opinions, fosters individualistic thinking, and dilutes hierarchy and power structures by giving the power to the people.[1] He says that the whole world is in the middle of a new Renaissance, one that is centered around technology and self-expression. However, Rushkoff makes it clear that “people don’t live their lives behind a desk with their hands on a keyboard” [2]

A tech-utopia does not disregard any problems that technology may cause,[3] but strongly believes that technology allows mankind to make social, economic, political, and cultural advancements.[4] Overall, Technological Utopianism views technology’s impacts as extremely positive.

A movement of techno-utopianism began to flourish again in the dot-com culture of the 1990s, particularly in the West Coast of the United States, especially based around Silicon Valley. The Californian Ideology was a set of beliefs combining bohemian and anti-authoritarian attitudes from the counterculture of the 1960s with techno-utopianism and support for libertarian economic policies. It was reflected in, reported on, and even actively promoted in the pages of Wired magazine, which was founded in San Francisco in 1993 and served for a number years as the "bible" of its adherents.

This form of techno-utopianism reflected a belief that technological change revolutionizes human affairs, and that digital technology in particular - of which the Internet was but a modest harbinger - would increase personal freedom by freeing the individual from the rigid embrace of bureaucratic big government. "Self-empowered knowledge workers" would render traditional hierarchies redundant; digital communications would allow them to escape the modern city, an "obsolete remnant of the industrial age".

Its adherents claim it transcended conventional "right/left" distinctions in politics by rendering politics obsolete. However, techno-utopianism disproportionately attracted adherents from the libertarian right end of the political spectrum. Therefore, techno-utopians often have a hostility toward government regulation and a belief in the superiority of the free market system. Prominent "oracles" of techno-utopianism included George Gilder and Kevin Kelly, an editor of Wired who also published several books.

In the late 1990s and especially during the first decade of the 21st century, technorealism and techno-progressivism are stances that have risen among advocates of technological change as critical alternatives to techno-utopianism.[13][14] However, technological utopianism persists in the 21st century as a result of new technological developments and their impact on society. For example, several technical journalists and social commentators, such as Mark Pesce, have interpreted the WikiLeaks phenomenon and the United States diplomatic cables leak in early December 2010 as a precursor to, or an incentive for, the creation of a techno-utopian transparent society.[15] Cyber-utopianism, first coined by Evgeny Morozov, is another manifestation of this, in particular in relation to the Internet and social networking.

Bernard Gendron, a professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, defines the four principles of modern technological utopians in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as follows:[16]

We are presently undergoing a (post-industrial) revolution in technology;

In the post-industrial age, technological growth will be sustained (at least);

In the post-industrial age, technological growth will lead to the end of economic scarcity;

The elimination of economic scarcity will lead to the elimination of every major social evil.

Rushkoff presents us with multiple claims that surround the basic principles of Technological Utopianism:[17]

Technology reflects and encourages the best aspects of human nature, fostering “communication, collaboration, sharing, helpfulness, and community.”[18] 2. Technology improves our interpersonal communication, relationships, and communities. Early Internet users shared their knowledge of the Internet with others around them.

Technology democratizes society. The expansion of access to knowledge and skills led to the connection of people and information. The broadening of freedom of expression created “the online world...in which we are allowed to voice our own opinions.”[19] The reduction of the inequalities of power and wealth meant that everyone has an equal status on the internet and is allowed to do as much as the next person.

Technology inevitably progresses. The interactivity that came from the inventions of the TV remote control, video game joystick, computer mouse and computer keyboard allowed for much more progress.

Unforeseen impacts of technology are positive. As more people discovered the Internet, they took advantage of being linked to millions of people, and turned the Internet into a social revolution. The government released it to the public, and it’s “social side effect… [became] it’s main feature.”[18]

Technology increases efficiency and consumer choice. The creation of the TV remote, video game joystick, and computer mouse liberated these technologies and allowed users to manipulate and control them, giving them many more choices.

New technology can solve the problems created by old technology. Social networks and blogs were created out of the collapse of dot.com bubble businesses’ attempts to run pyramid schemes on users.

References 1. Rushkoff, Douglas. EME: Explorations in Media Ecology, “Renaissance Now! Media Ecology and the New Global Narrative”. Hampton Press, 2002, p. 24. 2. Rushkoff, Douglas. “Douglas Rushkoff - Articles - 21st Century Renaissance.” Douglas Rushkoff - Articles - 21st Century Renaissance. Web. 02 March 2015. http://www.rushkoff.com/articles-individual/2008/3/31/21st-century-renaissance.html 3. Segal, Howard P. Imagining Tomorrow: History, Technology and The American Future, "The Technological Utopians", Cambridge: MIT Press, 1986. 4. Rushkoff, Douglas. EME: Explorations in Media Ecology, “Renaissance Now! Media Ecology and the New Global Narrative”. Hampton Press, 2002, p. 41-57. 13. "Technorealism". 14. Carrico, Dale (2005). "Technoprogressivism Beyond Technophilia and Technophobia". Retrieved 2007-01-28. 14. Mark Pesce (December 13, 2010). "The state, the press and a hyperdemocracy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16. Gendron, Bernard (1977). Technology and the Human Condition. St.Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-78890-8. 16. Rushkoff, Douglas (2002). "Renaissance Now! Media Ecology and the New Global Narrative". Explorations in Media Ecology 1 (1): 21–32. 18. Rushkoff, Douglas (2002). "Renaissance Now! Media Ecology and the New Global Narrative". Explorations in Media Ecology 1 (1): 26.

[twoplustwoequalsfour]

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