That was a great series of posts. The concept of "conscious evolution" is interesting, but I'd argue that it won't be that different from natural evolution. I say that because when we choose what enhancements to introduce to ourselves, we'll be driven by the "survival of the fittest" instinct, except that here we're not talking about survival as in staying alive, but as in staying relevant and desired in society (being better looking, smarter, richer, ...etc).
wildcat1 votesThursday, January 10, 2008 at 5:23 PM
I agree the serie is very good, but concerning conscious evolution, i beg to differ, as systems increase in complexity beyond a certain range, the level of motivation and pressures changes beyond recognition. there is no reason to assume that after the singularity, the reasoning of survival will still be applicable. moreover if all will be smart rich and beautiful (whatever that means) the significance of it as such will lose meaning, that is when conscious evolution starts.. we are far from there at present, but the possibility is there
Sure, after a certain point in time things will be so different that our imagination will fail us. I'm actually talking about a more near future, when people can change their mental abilities and value as easily as doing a Lasik procedure today. For example, when given the option to be either more compassionate or more competitive, I think most people will choose the latter, and those who don't will end up as losers in a society of very competitive culture. People will choose what's best for them individually (to get ahead in society or avoid being left behind), as opposed to choosing what's best for humanity in general. So in a sense, it's very similar to natural evolution and it's going to be driven by very similar rules.
