The Posthuman Condition*
By Kip Werking
* Hunter Washburne helped edit my article “The Posthuman Condition.”
Introductory Quotations
• "There is no evil I have to accept because 'there's nothing I can do
about it'. There is no abused child, no oppressed peasant, no
starving beggar, no crack-addicted infant, no cancer patient, literally
no one that I cannot look squarely in the eye. I'm working to save
everybody, heal the planet, solve all the problems of the world."
— Eliezer Yudkowsky, Singularitarian Principles 1.0
• "How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe
away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained
this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we
moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually?
Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or
down left? Are we not straying as if through an infinite nothing? Do
we not feel the breath of empty space?"
— Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra*
* The article “Caution and the Way Forward” by Max More, which can be found at Reason’s The
Longevity Meme www.longevitymeme.org first drew my attention to this quotation. I thought that
Nietzsche’s words were especially for my article as well, as therefore included them.
Introduction
• Philosophy and Natural Science
• Why my thesis is not shocking
• Anthropocentric conceits
– Darwin
– Copernicus
• The third and fourth conceits
The Third Anthropocentric Conceit
"The third blow, which is psychological in nature, is probably the most wounding."
— Freud
• The unique importance of IA
• Some transhumanists have yet to abandon:
– Kurzweil
– Yudkowsky and the Singularitarians
• Contrast intelligence with speed, strength
– Our superiors already exist
– Speed and strength do not accelerate
• Contrast Freud and Nietzsche
The Fourth Anthropocentric Conceit
• Definition: the collective naïve answers to the hard
problems of philosophy
• Transhumanists have yet to abandon:
– Libertarian transhumanism
– Yudkowsky’s FAQ and CFAI
• Contrast Nietzsche with Ayn Rand
• The three questions discussed here:
– Ethics
– Freedom
– Reality
• Other possible questions in the fourth:
– Personal Identity (More, Hughes)
– Religion
Ethics
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Is happiness a subgoal?
Response B does not respect the BRM – Hedonistic Imperative
Universal DNA and universal orgasm
Beware the Naturalistic Fallacy
Ethics
HS1
BRM
Supergoal
CMB
Gene Propagation
HS2
HS3
HS4
CMB
X1
X1
X2
Gene Propagation
X2
• How valid are the moralities of HS1-4?
• Consider the possibilities for X1 and X2, including
maladaptive behaviors
• So, if a behavior was conducive to fitness and utility, that
behavior would be moral, regardless of appearance
• But our sense of morality involves feelings coupled with
actions – not just feelings
• In summary: BRM manipulation threatens to undermine
our sense of morality
Freedom
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Not a trivial problem
Summarize recent work
Transhumanists and compatibilists
Transhumanist therapy / enhancement
distinction disappears as enhancement
improves
Free will skeptic therapy / punishment distinction
disappears as therapy improves
Intelligence amplification
Behavior engineering
Consider HS4 / Layers of Control
Freedom
• In 1924 Ayn Rand studied Nietzsche
• In 1924 Leopold studied Nietzsche
• In 1924 John Burdon Sanderson Haldane
presented his paper “Daedalus, or,
Science and the Future”
• In summary, future technologies will force
us to once again confront Darrow’s
challenge
Reality
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Image of sensory deception evolves with technology
The Matrix
The Simulation Argument
How To Live In A Simulation
Why are the citizens of Zion not suffering an epistemological crisis?
Court cases
Conclusion & Questions
• Transhumanists have abandoned the third
conceit
• But they continue to believe in the fourth
• This is seen by considering BRM modification,
intelligence amplification, behavior engineering,
and virtual reality simulations
• Other philosophical dilemmas might be relevant
too (personal identity, religion)
• Questions