Catégorie : Books

Homo Deus – The data religion

« Dataism » – this religion doesn’t venerates neither gods nor man – it worships data.

Dataism declares that the universe consists of data flows and expects electronic algorithms to eventually decipher and outperform biochemical algorithms.

Dataism is most entrenched in its two mother disciplines: computer science and biology.

If humanism can be considered a single data-processing system, its output will be the creation of a new and even more efficient data-processing system, called the Internet of All Things.

Homo Deus: Techno-humanism

Just as socialism took over the world by promising salvation through steam and electricity so in the coming decades new techno religions may conquer the world by promising salvation through algorithms and genes.

The techno religions are :

  • techno-humanism
  • data religion

Techno-humanism still sees humans as the apex of creating but agrees that Homo sapiens as we know it has run its historical course and will no longer be relevant in the future. Technology should be used to create Homo deus – a much superior human model that will retain some essential human features, but will enjoy upgraded physical and mental abilities that will enable it to hold its own event against the most sophisticated non-conscious algorithms.

As Sapiens organised in larger groups they lost some skills and aptitudes (smell, paying attention – Fear Of Missing Out, ability to dream). For the economical and political system it was worth it.

The attention helmet – the overuse of it my cause us to lose our ability to tolerate confusions, doubts and contradictions. That means, techno-humanism can end up by downgrading humans. They would lack some really disturbing human qualities that hamper the system and slow it down.

Humanism always emphasised that it is not easy to identify our authentic will. It demands us to listen to the inner messages even if they scare us. Technological progress wants to control the inner voices.

The dilemma: how we can live with such technologies as long as we believe that the human and the human experiences are the supreme source of authority and meaning?

 

Homo Sapiens – the useless class

Most important question of the twenty-first-century economics: what to do with the superfluous people after we will have highly intelligent non-conscious algorithms that can do almost everything better?

As long as machines competed humans merely in physical abilities, there were countless cognitive tasks that humans performed better. What will happen once algorithms outperform us in remembering, analysing and recognising patterns?

Over the last few thousands years we humans have been specialising. For AI to squeeze humans out of the job market it needs only to outperform us in the specific abilities a particular profession demands. The crucial problem is not to create new jobs but to create new jobs that humans perform better than algorithms.

Very soon the traditional model where life was divided into two main parts,a period of learning followed by a period of working, could become utterly obsolete and the only way for humans to stay in the game will be to keep learning throughout their lives and to reinvent themselves repeatedly.

 

 

Homo Sapiens – free will

Can humans give a meaning to the world?

How do biotechnology and AI threaten humanism?

Who might inherit humankind and will replace humanism?

The contradiction between free will and contemporary science. Scientists say there is no soul, no free will and no « self », but genes, hormones and neurons and the electrochemical brain processes are either deterministic or random. Free will exists only in the imaginary stories humans created.

Humans act according to their desires meaning they have free will, but also do the dogs or chimpanzees. The question would be: can they control their desires? At least, they don’t get the choose them.

 

Humanism – Homo deus

The only source for artistic creation and aesthetic value  is human feeling. If it feels good do it.

Art is anything people think is art and beauty is in the eye of the beholder – Duchamp’s fountain – an important milestone in the modern humanist world.

In a free market the customer is always right.

In education, the students should think for themselves.

Medieval Europe:  Knowledge = Scriptures x Logic;

Scientific Revolution: Empirical Data x Mathematics;

Humanism: Experiences (sensations, emotions, thoughts) x Sensitivity.

You can’t experience something if you don’t have the necessary sensitivity and you cannot develop your sensitivity without undergoing a lot of experiences.

Humanism sees life as a gradual process of inner change – develop your knowledge through a wide variety of intellectual, emotional and physical experiences.

Science and humanism – yang and yin. The yang provides us with power while the yin provides us with meaning and ethical judgements.

 

Epicurus

The ancient Greek philosopher wanted to know how to be happy. He started a school for happiness called The Garden.

He believed people make three mistakes when thinking about happiness:

  1. We need romantic relationships – never put too much faith in relationships, friendships are more rewarding
  2. We need lots of money – the desire for money and prestige brings jealousy, backbiting. Working is satisfying when there is a sense of fulfilment though our labour
  3. Too much faith in luxury – what we really want is calm.

Three major changes Epicurus made in his life:

  1. He decided to live together with his friends and founded a commune
  2. Every in the commune stopped working for other people. They had less money but bigger satisfaction
  3. He and his friends spent periods of every day finding calm

Homo deus notes #1

Today humanity’s challenges:

  • famine
  • plague
  • war

Tomorrow humanity’s challenges:

  • eternal youth
  • the key to happiness – the pursuit of happiness – unalienable human right
    • psychological level: happiness depends on expectations rather than objective condtions
    • biological level: determined by our biochemistry  rather than by our economic, social or political situation. re-engineer Homo Sapiens to enjoy overlasting pleasure

Istoria, joc fara reguli

Lucian Boia,  Un joc fara reguli.

Imprevizibilitatea istoriei, principala caracteristica.

Istoria nu se repeta, se pot repeta sau pot fi asemanatoare anumite « episoade », dar ansamblul e mereu diferit.

Oamenii fac Istoria, dar nu o pot stapani.

Excercitii de interpretare: al doilea razboi fara Hitler, unirea Principatelor ca un proces petrecut la limita privita ca o oportunitate pentru putina vreme, crearea Romaniei (conditiile ideale pentru Romania la sfarsitul lui 1918), geneza Occidentului si ce s-ar fi intamplat daca europenii nu ar fi avut setea de cunoastere si de dominatie?

 

Managing oneself

Some questions to answer to:

Am I a reader or a listener? How do I learn? Do I work well with people , or am I a loner? If I work well with people, in what relationship?

Do I produce results as a decision maker or as an adviser?

Do I perform well under stress, or do I need a highly structured and predictable environment?

What are my values? What kind of person do I want to see in the mirror in the morning?

Where do I belong?

What should my contribution be?

The existence of trust between people does not necessarily mean that they like one another. It means that they understand one another. Taking responsibility for relationships is an absolute necessity.

How you perform is a matter of personality.

Do no try to change yourself. Work hard to improve the way you perform.

Managing oneself, Peter Drucker

 

Le nom de la rose #3

Après le souper Guillaume et Adso utilisent le passage secret pour entre dans l’Edifice. Ils découvrent qu’un livre qui était sur la table de Venantius a disparu. Pendant leur visite, une personne mystérieuse apparait et vole les précieuses lunettes de Guillaume. Ils découvrent aussi que Venantius voulait cacher un secret important et qu’il s’est servi d’un alphabet secret qui devra être déchiffré.

Ils arrivent dans la bibliothèque. Ils observent que tous les livres sont nettoyés avec une certaine presence et que par terre il ne traine aucune saleté. Ils commencent à explorer la bibliothèque qui était comme un labyrinthe. A un moment donné ils perdent mais inopinément ils retrouvent la salle d’ou ils étaient partis. Quand ils rentrent dans leur cellules ils apprennent que l’Abbé les a cherchés toutes la nuit. Il voulait leur annoncer que Bérenger n’était pas dans la choeur et qu’il n’avait pas regagné sa cellule après l’office. En fouillant sa cellule un moine trouve un linge souillé de sang. Guillaume pense que c’est mieux d’attendre les éveniments.

Pendant le repas matinal et tandis que Adso mangeait, Salvatore lui raconte comment il a été choisi comme aide par le cellérier. Il se trouvait ici depuis des années, peu intéressé par les fastes de l’ordre, avec l’image d’un homme à la vie aventureuse, capable meme de tuer son semblable sans se rendre compte de son crime. Ados n’est pas sur de ce que Salvatore a inventé et il se demande ce qu’il a passé sous silence.

Guillaume et le maitre verrier, père Nicolas, travaillent pour réaliser une nouvelle paire de lunettes qui va permettre à Guillaume d’étudier en details le message secret de Venantius.