• Eugen
    702
    Absolutely all the inventions so far, no matter how sophisticated, serve directly or indirectly to ancient desires, almost instinctive. Although the world abounds with new inventions, there is nothing new under the sun at the level of desires.

    Any technology has 2 phases:


    1. Breakthrough - the invention of the device that satisfies the desire
    2. Evolution - in the sense of perfecting the respective technology

    1. If there is a finite set of desires, when they will be fulfilled, the only thing left is perfecting.

    2. Improving existing technologies may seem like an argument for the endless potential of evolution, as perfection cannot be achieved. But this can only be a mirage, because once the goals are reached at an acceptable level, improvement becomes nonsense. Is a battery that lasts 1 million years more evolved than a battery with a 500.000 years autonomy?
    Let's take the example of instantaneous distant communication, the old desire since the world:
    Maximum goal: telepathic communication, maybe even at the level of senses and emotions. Suppose that in the future this device will be invented, and this big step has been made, then follows the improvement that means:
    - not to bother
    - not to affect health
    - to have a battery that requires very rare charging
    - others

    After all this reaches an acceptable level, the technology as a whole has achieved both its main goal (satisfaction of desire) and secondary goals (satisfaction in optimal conditions).

    1. Will technological evolution make us have new desires that our current brain cannot imagine?

    2. Will the world over 10,000 years old be much more evolved than today's world, but about as evolved as the one 1 trillion years ahead ?
  • Lindsay Gilmour
    1
    “The Evolution Of Ideas”
    Technology, as we know, is an intricate mix of both the evolution of ideas, coupled with intelligence and engineering.
    We discern this happening right before our eyes. Mankinds understanding, his insights and fundamental assumptions constantly evolve. After research, trial and error, truth can be seen to be found in the realities of our technological progress.
    The speed at which technology has advanced over the last century is breathtaking. Imagine trying to explain to someone alive two hundred years ago what we today are capable of inventing and building. How would we begin to explain the developments of modern communication, computers, mobile technology, medicine, mobility, media, agriculture, finance, industry?
    Such evolution in science and technology, has led to the development of advances in several disciplines; electrical and mechanical engineering, materials development, design, architecture, function, programming. One established concept, evolves with ingenuity and experiment into another. Only a blithering idiot would suggest the whole process took place by accident.
    The process represents the gradual evolution of knowledge. The accrued application of insight, ingenuity and construction, give rise to an ever increasing complexity and function. We see this process in most human endeavours. This reality is fundamental to to all the technological progress man has made over the centuries. These are the foundations of our own technological future.
    Now, try and project mankinds progress over 2,000 years, 50,000 years, even longer. The progressive evolution of ideas, application and construction could take us to a place even our wildest imagination couldn’t be able to conceive at the moment.
    It would be entirely reasonable to conclude that the realities of our existence are the result of the evolving nature of some one else’s technological past. This earth, life and we humans exist in complex grandeur. It would not be hard to imagine that a race of extraordinarily developed intelligent beings have developed the understanding and skills needed to produce life.
    Put the two processes together. First, scientific evolution, the gradual development and accumulation of knowledge. And then, the conception, design, and construction of an environment, with conditions necessary for encapsulating life, a biosphere if you like, where an ever evolving complexity of designed life could be be developed and placed.
    Consider mankind, the pinnacle of our known creation. We must be the product of an evolving intellect of infinitely greater insight and understanding than we as a race can comprehend. We humans are an incredibly advanced creation, an “artificial intelligence.”
    We have no right to judge our creators until we understand why they made us, what is our purpose, and what do they want us to accomplish. Their intellect is infinitely more developed than ours. Considering the aeons of time it would have taken to develop the necessary understanding needed to create such an amazing biosphere as life, it defies reason and logic to conclude that our makers did not know what they were doing.
    Science is the search for an understanding of the realities we face. It is not a guessing game, driven by our frailties, our whims and our fancies. If it doesn’t work, we discard it. It would be the sum of all stupidity to let the arrogance and the ignorance bigoted, short sighted men impede our search for truth. If it works, build on it.
  • tilda-psychist
    53
    Absolutely all the inventions so far, no matter how sophisticated, serve directly or indirectly to ancient desires, almost instinctive. Although the world abounds with new inventions, there is nothing new under the sun at the level of desires.

    Any technology has 2 phases:


    1. Breakthrough - the invention of the device that satisfies the desire
    2. Evolution - in the sense of perfecting the respective technology

    1. If there is a finite set of desires, when they will be fulfilled, the only thing left is perfecting.

    2. Improving existing technologies may seem like an argument for the endless potential of evolution, as perfection cannot be achieved. But this can only be a mirage, because once the goals are reached at an acceptable level, improvement becomes nonsense. Is a battery that lasts 1 million years more evolved than a battery with a 500.000 years autonomy?
    Let's take the example of instantaneous distant communication, the old desire since the world:
    Maximum goal: telepathic communication, maybe even at the level of senses and emotions. Suppose that in the future this device will be invented, and this big step has been made, then follows the improvement that means:
    - not to bother
    - not to affect health
    - to have a battery that requires very rare charging
    - others

    After all this reaches an acceptable level, the technology as a whole has achieved both its main goal (satisfaction of desire) and secondary goals (satisfaction in optimal conditions).

    1. Will technological evolution make us have new desires that our current brain cannot imagine?

    2. Will the world over 10,000 years old be much more evolved than today's world, but about as evolved as the one 1 trillion years ahead ?
    Eugen

    i think the answer is yes. There is essentially no end to what technology can do. However most people are aware of the fact that new technology can bring new problems. Ancient hunter-gatherers fought lions and our modern lions are finding fiscally responsible ways to deal with globalism and automation. Automation to a strong extent started over 200 years ago.
  • ChatteringMonkey
    1.3k
    1. If there is a finite set of desires, when they will be fulfilled, the only thing left is perfecting.Eugen

    No, because a lot of desires are in relation to other people. And so in relation to those desires, technology is neutral... if everybody has access to that technology.

    1. Will technological evolution make us have new desires that our current brain cannot imagine?Eugen

    No, desires are mostly dependant on biology. And technology doesn't alter biology in principle, unless it's technology that alters the human genome specifically.

    Will the world over 10,000 years old be much more evolved than today's world, but about as evolved as the one 1 trillion years ahead ?Eugen

    Who knows... but if I'd had to make a guess, yes it will be much more evolved in 10.000, and yes it is possible that it doesn't change that much in the next trillion years thereafter. The reason for believing that is that in the couple of centuries that we started using the scientific method seriously, we already know in general lines how the universe works.... at least the parts that are relevant to our lives. For instance, the standard model of particle physics probably won't change fundamentally anymore no matter how far we go in the future. And so if we know this much already in a couple of centuries, it seems probable that over 10.000 years there won't be much left to discover that will radically alter the world we live in.
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