Catégorie : School of life

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 – 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.

 

Aristotle’s philosophy

  • What makes people happy? – the table of virtues and vices
  • What are friends for?
    • friends – the interest in pleasure and the opportunity of the moment
    • friends as strategic acquintances
    • true friend –  someone not like you but about whom you care as much as you care about yourself.
  • How can ideas cut through in a busy world?
    • soothe people’s fears
    • see the emotional part of the issue

How to raise mentally tough children

  • Don’t condone a victim mentality – it is OK that sometimes bad things happen, that people won’t treat you fairly – he can choose to try again
  • Don’t prevent them to make mistakes – to make mistakes is OK, you have to learn him how to bounce back – How do we deal with that mistake? How can we do better next time? Learn from mistakes
  • Let them assume responsibility –

School of life #1

How to be an entrepreneur – a different route

  • an accurate insight into the causes of the human unhappiness – become an expert in the things that make life difficult to people.

How to start a business – another path, a business of love

  • a majority of businesses don’t love what they do (pragmatic business).
  • Business of love (a total commitment to excellence, a focus on the long term, a meaning of life). Offer the world something you love a little more intensely than most people do.