The Fermi Paradox—if there’s other intelligent life in the galaxy, given how long the galaxy’s been here, how come we haven’t seen any indication of it?—is an important puzzle for those of us who like to think ahead. Setting aside the mystical (we’re all that was created by a higher being) and fundamentally unprovable (we’re all living in a simulation), we’re left with two unpalatable options: we’re the first intelligent species to arise; or no civilization ever makes it long enough.
Poll: Is Internet Addiction for Real?
According to a little more than half of you internet addiction is for real, even if a little overblown.
Nano Motors
by Mike TrederProducts put together by a nanofactory (see here for some fun examples) can be expected to be far more powerful and sophisticated than today’s best-built products.
Technoprogressive, the list
Interested in developing the “technoprogressive” political perspective? Then join the the technoprogressive list.
Nick Bostrom: “Why I hope the search for extraterrestrial life finds nothing.”
by George DvorskyTranshumanist philosopher (and IEET Chair) Nick Bostrom desperately hopes that we never find signs of extraterrestrial life—advanced or otherwise. Why? Because he understands the Fermi Paradox.
The Shifgrethor of Changelings
by Athena Andreadis“Maybe there are only two sexes: men and mothers.” Alice Sheldon, writing as James Tiptree Jr. to Joanna Russ
Why I hope the search for extraterrestrial life finds nothing
by Nick BostromIf we are alone it may be evidence that we have sneaked past the huge hurdles in the way of any species becoming an intelligent star-faring civilization. Then again, we could still be extinguished at any moment.
Transhumanism still at the crossroads
by Russell BlackfordIn 2004, I wrote a piece called “Transhumanism at the Crossroads,” which has been one of my most popular essays. It was originally published as part of my old “Eye of the Storm” irregular column on the Betterhumans site.
Artificial Wisdom
by Ben GoertzelEvery now and then, someone suggests to me that, alongside the pursuit of Artificial Intelligence, we should also be pursuing “Artificial Wisdom”
The Past and Future of Evolution
I (J. Hughes) just returned from a wonderful conference on the history and future of the theory of evolution.
Roll +3 vs the Future
by Jamais CascioDungeons & Dragons made me a professional futurist.
Hughes Talk on H+ & Religion top-rated at Thoughtware.tv
To toot my own horn, one of my favorite talks in recent memory was one I gave to the Templeton folks on the compatibility of religion and transhumanism. Andres put it up on Thoughtware.tv, and he wrote to let me know that it has been their top-rated talk there. Listen to it here. The slides associated with that talk are here, and the paper is here.
Millennial Tendencies in Responses to Apocalyptic Threats
by J. HughesAbstract: Popular discussion of utopian possibilities and apocalyptic risks from new technologies is sometimes dismissed as ungrounded millennial hysteria. In this essay I reflect on the various types of historic, pancultural millennialism. I then suggest how contemporary forms of secular techno-utopian and techno-apocalyptic discourse reflect these millennialist types and their characteristic biases to over- or under-estimate catastrophic risks, and adopt fatalistic or inappropriate stances toward risk reduction. Then I suggest that awareness of these characteristic millennialist cognitive biases help us separate grounded assessments of catastrophic risks from their attendant psycho-cultural baggage. By carefully parsing our hopes and fears about the future from the characteristic dysfunctions of millennialism we can tap millennialism’s energy without being led astray by it. (Download the PDF)
Linda’s Review of Dyson in Nature Biotechnology
Congrats to IEET’s Linda MacDonald Glenn for getting a review of Freeman Dyson’s latest book, A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe, in Nature Biotechnology.
Do we want a truly liberal society?
by Russell BlackfordThe goal of a liberal society puts obligations on its citizens, that we practice reasonableness and openness to ideas, that we do not just tolerate one another but support one another to our fullest flourishing. A liberal society is not neutral about values like disease and health, sloth and effort, deceit and integrity, cowardice and courage. There are excellences that citizens of a liberal society must promote to survive. [Discuss this article in IEET Fora]
Poll: Who will the next US President be? (Obama)
Barack Obama ran away with this primary race. Two thirds of you believe he will be the next US President.
The Big Picture: Resource Collapse
by Jamais CascioTruism #1: Human society’s continued existence depends on the sustained flows of a variety of natural resources.
Truism #2: What that set of natural resources comprises can change over time.
Poll: Will (post)humans colonize the galaxy?
A majority of you think yes. Of the 320 respondents to the poll, almost 60% said that (post)human colonization of the galaxy was likely. One if five thought the prospects of galactic colonization were dim because of vast distances. One in six thought the prospects bad because of x-risks to the future of human civilization.
Radical Prosthetic Implants
by Mike TrederAn article in Scientific American titled ”Scientists Set Sights on an Implantable Prosthetic for the Blind” tells about a Boston neuroscientist who is “developing a device that may someday help the blind by sending images directly to the brain.”
The Other Half
by Mike TrederChina is often depicted by the traditional media as a nation with a booming economy, a thriving middle class, and an unlimited future. We’re led to expect that it soon will become the world’s unchallenged economic and geopolitical superpower.
Super-Empowered Hopeful Individuals
by Jamais CascioMost discussions of the benefits of technologies like molecular manufacturing tend to focus either on broad social advances (engineered by helpful governments, NGOs, or businesses) or individual desires that transformative technologies may be able to satisfy. These are surely useful ways of thinking about a nanotech-enabled world. But what if this model misses another category, one that may be less noticeable precisely because we pay so much attention to its opposite?
It’s the Business of the Future to be Dangerous
by Jamais CascioWhat am I? What do you call someone who tries to engage the public in a conversation about plausible futures, and ways we could end up with a better world?
Elliot Spitzer: Only a Human Male
by George DvorskyEvolutionary psychology suggests we should cut Spitzer some slack. Until we can re-engineer the brain, human males will do lots of dumb things for sex.
Dreamers of a Better Future, Unite!
by Athena AndreadisViews of space travel have grown increasingly pessimistic in the last decade.
The Future of Marriage
by Edward MillerThe institution of marriage in Western society is both a result of human nature and at odds with it.
Seven ways to control the Galaxy with self-replicating probes
by George DvorskySo, you want to take over the Galaxy. A good career move. Ultimately, you’re hoping to communicate with extraterrestrials, colonize entire sets of star clusters, and eventually lord it over the entire Milky Way.
The Future of Humanity
by Nick BostromAbstract The future of humanity is often viewed as a topic for idle speculation. Yet our beliefs and assumptions on this subject matter shape decisions in both our personal lives and public policy – decisions that have very real and sometimes unfortunate consequences. It is therefore practically important to try to develop a realistic mode of futuristic thought about big picture questions for humanity. This paper sketches an overview of some recent attempts in this direction, and it offers a brief discussion of four families of scenarios for humanity’s future: extinction, recurrent collapse, plateau, and posthumanity.
George Wins Three 2008 Blogisattva Awards
The 2008 Blogisattva Award winners have been announced - the awards for best Buddhist blogging - and our George Dvorsky has again scored a number of awards for Sentient Developments.
Latest from JET
is a peer-reviewed electronic journal published by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and edited by IEET Fellow Dr. Russell Blackford. The first two articles of Volume 17 have been published.
The Big Future
by Jamais CascioYou don’t have to believe in incipient singularities to recognize that 2028—just twenty years from now—will bear very little resemblance to 2008.
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