Churchill talks about our future dystopia
“After all, this material progress, in itself so splendid, does not meet any of the real needs of the human race. I read a book the other day which traced the history of mankind from the birth of the solar system to its extinction. There were fifteen or sixteen races of men which in succession rose and fell over periods measured by tens of millions of years. In the end a race of beings was evolved which had mastered nature. A state was created whose citizens lived as long as they chose, enjoyed pleasures and sympathies incomparably wider than our own, navigated the interplanetary spaces, could recall the panorama of the past and foresee the future. But what was the good of all that to them? What did they know more than we know about the answers to the simple questions which man has asked since the earliest dawn of reason — ’Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Whither are we going?’ No material progress, even though it takes shapes we cannot now conceive, or however it may expand the faculties of man, can bring comfort to his soul. It is this fact, more wonderful than any that Science can reveal, which gives the best hope that all will be well. Projects undreamed-of by past generations will absorb our immediate descendants; forces terrific and devastating will be in their hands; comforts, activities, amenities, pleasures will crowd upon them, but their hearts will ache, their lives will be barren, if they have not a vision above material things. And with the hopes and powers will come dangers out of all proportion to the growth of man’s intellect, to the strength of his character or to the efficacy of his institutions. Once more the choice is offered between Blessing and Cursing. Never was the answer that will be given harder to foretell.”
This is Churchill’s writing from 1931. Allow me to “pro forma” the book he read 87 years ago.
We don’t master nature. We simply can’t help ourselves from destroying it. A longer-term oriented, more intelligent form of life would act very differently. After 16 races of men over millions of years, we climbed to the top of the food chain. Since we still don’t know much better than dabbling with self-destruction, it’s easy to imagine a further evolved species that uses its powers more rationally. Artificial Superintelligence will get there — it’s just a matter of time. Where are we going to be when that happens? Are we going to morph into enhanced cyborgs? Or will nature have to run its course and just select the better species?
In another passage, Churchill states:
“There are secrets too mysterious for man in his present state to know, secrets which, once penetrated, may be fatal to human happiness and glory.”
If the pace of our greed won’t stop proceeding more rapidly than the development of our intelligence, the passage above will have never been more relevant.
