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Dangerous Futures >
Nanofactories, Gang Wars, and "Feelies"
Permanent link to this article: http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/articles/art0639.html
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Nanofactories, Gang Wars, and "Feelies"
In 30 years, a new intelligent species might share the planet with us and
dirt-cheap molecular manufacturing may end poverty and strife. But there exists a risk that a world of lotus-eaters will degenerate into gang wars among those for whom life
retains no discipline or meaning.
Originally published in The
Futurist March-April 2006. Reprinted on KurzweilAI.net February
3, 2006.
This article is a response to Ray Kurzweil's feature in The
Futurist, Reinventing
Humanity. You can also read other responses to Kurzweil's article
by Terry
Grossman, John
Smart, J.
Storrs Hall, and Richard
Eckersley. Ray Kurzweil's response to Eckersley's comments can
be found here.
Click here
to read a PDF of the full feature.
A quarter century ago, we'd have laughed at the prospect of "Dick
Tracy" cell-phones with cameras; now they're everywhere, and
nobody noticed after the first few days. So the jump to the idea
of a Singularity is not really extraordinary. But, should we really
expect ever more substantial changes to follow the same accelerating,
headlong pace?
It's reasonable to expect affordable computers to be smaller and
more powerful, 1,000 times improved in a decade, one million times
in 20 years, one billion in 30. By then, some machines might have
capabilities to rival the human mind. A new intelligent species
might share the planet with us.
In addition, developing technologies such as molecular manufacture—nanotechnology—will
allow the very engines of productivity to be copied cheaply and
distributed widely. If that happens the gap between rich and "poor"
might diminish. However, it will only occur if we find ways to prevent
portable nano-factories from making lethal weapons available to
any child or psychopath. We'll be able to solve most of the problems
that currently vex us—global warming, (to the extent that it's
caused by humans,) water and food shortages, provision of clean,
cheap power, and so on.
There is a scary downside that I discussed nearly a decade ago
in my book The Spike: Dirt-cheap molecular manufacture may
end poverty and strife, but there exists a risk that a world of
lotus-eaters will degenerate into gang wars among those for whom
life retains no discipline or meaning outside of arbitrary local
status and violence. People (young men especially) with full bellies
gained effortlessly, but lacking meaning in their lives, often find
purpose in ganging up on each other in fits of murderous primate
chest-pounding. Making Huxleian soma, or "feelies," the
opiate of the people might help, but that, too, is a sickening prospect.
On the other hand, those strictly unforeseeable and mysterious
changes captured in the word "Singularity" are likely
to overwhelm and surpass such predictable downsides of any technological
utopia or dystopia. The eeriest aspect of accelerating change is
that we ourselves, and our children, will be the ones soaking in
it. The sooner we start thinking seriously about the prospect, the
better prepared we'll be.
© 2006 Damien Broderick. Reprinted with permission.
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Mind·X Discussion About This Article:
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Re: Anyone ever played...
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That can all be done on the Holodeck once nanofacturing gains significant momentum. By then, Holodecks will probably cost as much as minimum wage.
What I'd like to do in a Holodeck is play a simulation of a relived childhood. First, I'll dechronify, and if I can't dechronify straight down to a child, I would get the Holodeck to superimpose a projection of a child over me, and the same for a child's voice over mine. Then I would start reliving my childhood from 2nd or 3rd grade, ace through my assignments, get into a Gifted program, zip through even the National Spelling Bee, become world-renowned, and through this simulation, become completely satisfied with my past.
A holo-program like this will probably become a bestseller! If you find such a holoware that allows the participant(s) to relive their childhood, would you get it? |
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Re: Anyone ever played...
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First guy, violance is preprogrammed?
Not true. Some nations have far higher violant crime and gang rates then others.
What are gangs like in Canada compared to Mexico?
Gang violance is a learned behavior, babies aren't born with the understanding of how to fight, violance is mostly cultural!
Suicide and accidental deaths outnumber violent deaths, also.
"The question then is: How to get meaning into our lives?"
Feeling meaningful is a state of mind that usually comes from teamwork towards a higher goal. Religion is a perfect example of this. People are in a group, encourage eachother, and feel that they are working towards something very special.
>
Would you feel meaningless if you had a wife and some kids? From all that I've seen, meaning comes from out bodies and minds moving in the direction that we were genetically meant to. Much like the pleasure from the taste of our food, our body tries to tell us when things are right and when they are wrong. Being a member of a group that has a superior goal, or having lots of good friends, is a sure sign of safety and survival odds.
Want meaning? Think about a place were everyone loves you, and think about game-theory.
Tell me if I'm wrong. |
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Re: Anyone ever played...
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Gangs are nothing more then people assimilating to work towards a common goal. The US Army is a Gang, although it's a highly organized gang. And every culture has the gang/assimilate mentality. So to say that Mexico has more violent gangs then Canada is absurd. How did the land holders of Cananda come into power? Their heavily armed, and Organized militia/gang/armry,killed the native Americans that were living there and "claimed" the territory like gangs do. So no culture is innocent of gang violence, some cultures have more organized gangs then others. Lol...
omg...
Okay, was it Canada or was it USA that killed off so many indians?
Gang = imitation within group = learned behavior, based on observation. The violance part isn't about "human-nature", it's about methodology of culture, which is learned and optional.
And damn, you go take a trip to a mexican slum, then tell me how non-violant they are compared to the few in Canadian cities. I suppose the macheti weilding sorts of gang rape and robbery, and the corrupt police that can be bribed for 20$, is just the same as my maple leaf? Not really. Crime rates, violance rates and military activity of a nation is VERY different, not based on genetics, it is cultural.
I do not think that you are correct, and you are talking about opinion instead of fact. |
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