Here’s some real world evidence that I find convincing.
To my knowledge, every ideology ever invented has inevitably sub-divided in to competing internal factions which then come in to conflict, rhetorically, violently, or both.
The seeming universal nature of this division process seems very useful information because it suggests the division and conflict arises not from the properties of particular ideologies so much as it does from that which all philosophies and philosophers have in common. And that would be, that which all philosophers and philosophies are made of. Thought.
Point being, division, conflict and ultimately violence arise from a deep fundamental property of the human condition which is to a significant degree beyond the reach of editing. We can tinker, we can nudge, we can make improvements here and there, but in the end, we’re going to have wars.
So far I see no credible evidence that any technology currently considered has a chance of making such fundamental changes to our most fundamental nature (ie. thought) as to bring an end to wars.
Once that is understood, it should quickly become clear that a knowledge explosion which generates ever more, ever larger powers, at an ever accelerating rate is unsustainable. No one can predict exactly how or when such emerging powers will overwhelm our most fundamental nature, we can only predict that on the current course, it will happen.
Finally, I’ll conclude with my most unpopular insight. Almost all of the violence that so threatens us is committed by men. The consistent, persistent, stubborn, near hysterical resistance to squarely facing this inconvenient fact is so beyond rational as to be approaching criminal.
Here’s some real world evidence that I find convincing.
To my knowledge, every ideology ever invented has inevitably sub-divided in to competing internal factions which then come in to conflict, rhetorically, violently, or both.
The seeming universal nature of this division process seems very useful information because it suggests the division and conflict arises not from the properties of particular ideologies so much as it does from that which all philosophies and philosophers have in common. And that would be, that which all philosophers and philosophies are made of. Thought.
Point being, division, conflict and ultimately violence arise from a deep fundamental property of the human condition which is to a significant degree beyond the reach of editing. We can tinker, we can nudge, we can make improvements here and there, but in the end, we’re going to have wars.
So far I see no credible evidence that any technology currently considered has a chance of making such fundamental changes to our most fundamental nature (ie. thought) as to bring an end to wars.
Once that is understood, it should quickly become clear that a knowledge explosion which generates ever more, ever larger powers, at an ever accelerating rate is unsustainable. No one can predict exactly how or when such emerging powers will overwhelm our most fundamental nature, we can only predict that on the current course, it will happen.
Finally, I’ll conclude with my most unpopular insight. Almost all of the violence that so threatens us is committed by men. The consistent, persistent, stubborn, near hysterical resistance to squarely facing this inconvenient fact is so beyond rational as to be approaching criminal.