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Another bogeyman has arrived to keep us awake and in fear of Armageddon. This time it is artificial intelligence.

The threat it poses exploded suddenly without warning onto media circuits as an existential threat to humanity, joining the growing list of other apocalyptic practices and forces we are asked to worry about.

Ironically, this time the looming end of everything human came from those directly responsible for creating it. Could it be what the poet Yeats called the rough beast, its time come round at last, (that) slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.

More surprisingly, its creators and once most vocal advocates have urgently called for a pause in its development. What must have happened in the Amazon, Microsoft, Google or IBM labs to motivate such a warning? What suddenly changed that merits such a request? We may never know, but there is much we do know about AI and its potential.

The first question about this sudden new threat is why was no one listening in the 1930s and every decade since as philosophers and a small cadre of scientists and engineers alerted the world to its potential. The second is whether the inability of humans to control it will be true.

Regardless it is here. Already broadly used in health care, data analytics and warfighting, it has demonstrated its remarkable power to find patterns in data, i.e., words, images and numbers. It can process information beyond speeds the human mind can never match. As such, it is safe to say it is here to stay, its advantages so powerful it cannot be resisted by economists, politicians or warriors. It will persist in these applications and quickly metastasize into most human activities, whether work, play, economics, etc.

The potential of AI to increase productivity is beyond our present ability to comprehend, and so is our imagination too limited to envision how it will change our world? It is not going away, and no fear-mongering or legislation can stop its effects on human civilization. It will change us and do so swiftly. We may as well brace ourselves for the shock to society at the door and make the most of it. Like the weeds that once found a niche in my lawn and replaced the grass, it will spread into every dimension of life. We must learn how to live with it, control its adverse effects and maximize its ability to improve the stability and sustainability of our species.

Technological innovations have always brought with them risks and tragedies as well as increases in our material comfort. Consider fire, gunpowder, electricity, the wheel, the internal combustion engine not to mention atomic energy. All contributed to positive transformations but always with adverse effects and even the possible to end of human autonomy; just as we fear AI will do.

Our relationship with AI will take many forms. Some will be symbiotic, as in parents to a child or as fuel to the fire. Others include subservience: us to it and it to us if we plan well. It will change how we work. Still, its development will come from our minds and hands, a human product. In that sense, at least, it will be subservient to us. It will eliminate the necessity for many types of work and free our species from the drudgery some work entails, but that will be at the cost of the contributions workers make to the stability and health of society. Without work, what will be the function of men and women other than servicing the machines and the AI code that drives them? This is just one fundamental question we should be examining.

There are many problematic possibilities, but none need to bring about the end of civilization or the replacement of homo sapiens with intelligent machines. Just as we have adapted to every other technologically driven change in our constructed world, we can adjust to AI and be the better for it. How we react, and the wisdom of our choices will depend on whether we remain in charge. Since we cant turn it off and it has already assumed transformative powers, we can no longer do without; what courses of action are needed?

The first step is to realize what AI is and isnt. It may come as a shock, but machine intelligence is an extension of human intelligence, and depending on your definitions is neither artificial nor intelligent. At this stage of its evolution, it can process sensory data faster than our brains. Still, the range of functions it is capable of is far from matching the power of the brain, and, for many reasons, it never can be. You can forget the notion of a looming singularity when your consciousness can be copied and uploaded into some cyber storage facility giving you immortality. Digital technologies cannot replicate the human brain and human consciousness. The brain is reported to be the most complex entity in the universe, so far as science can tell.

The human brain and mind deal with knowledge, and AI deals with data. They are not the same thing. Knowledge is a human construct and can exist only in a functioning human being. Everything else is data, objective in nature. Knowledge is subjective and a product of organic processes and that enable perception. Knowledge as experienced by humans is something a machine can never possess. Humans have capabilities machines will never acquire, i.e., feelings, imagination, anticipation, joy, pain and the genetically acquired cognitive mechanisms our species has developed over millennia to store and process what we experience. These capabilities give us a different kind of information resource that will enable us to maintain dominance over machines, personal knowledge.

Personal knowledge is more necessary than objective data collected by scientific inquiry in all of science. Personal knowledge is the engine that enables the brain to use objective data from observation, measurement and hypothesis testing to create understanding and insights. AI can never have such knowledge because it lacks those human qualities.

Great minds have explained all of this in the past: Kant, Whitehead and most famously, Michael Polanyi in his book Personal Knowledge: Towards ad Post-Critical Philosophy. My point is that humankind will prevail in the interaction with AI because our intelligence is of a different quality and more powerful than AI can ever be. That is not to say that our prevalence will come without consequence and loss. Much will be lost as well as gained. What comes out in the balance will depend on how we develop, manage, and use the power our minds have created.

Technology has frequently proven how disruptive it is to existing processes and patterns of life. Social media, a dumb application compared to AI, has adversely affected the traditional bases of how human autonomy develops. We have lost much control over the variables that shape our relationship with others and the world. We have allowed ourselves to become manipulated and shaped and allowed our values to be influenced by corporations and politicians. We have not learned how to manage these simple applications or even accepted the necessity to do so. Recognizing the deleterious effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, we insist on warning labels, have laws governing their use and availability, and punish those agencies that do not follow laws governing their use. In a sense, we regulate. We can and will regulate artificial intelligence.

It is absurd to ask that nations pause in their development of AI. That is akin to asking the tides to pause while we prepare for the oceans to rise. The sudden push to pause is but another example of how government fails to protect society. AI has existed since 1951 when Christopher Stachy released the first AI program at Oxford University. Even earlier, Alan Turing described the process in 1935 and used it effectively to defeat the Nazis in World War II. As always, it is too late for the government to deal proactively with possible existential threats. It is time to examine how they will threaten us, and the logical steps needed to manage and control them. We have done so many times in the past; failure to do so now is the real existential threat; one bound up in bureaucratic, akratic government. The storm is coming. Prepare yourself by understanding its power and how to shield yourself and hope someone in Washington takes notice.

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COMMUNITY VOICE: Another bogeyman to keep you awake at night - YourGV.com

Welcome, fellow humans and curious beings, to the weird and wonderful world of biohacking and human enhancement! Suppose you've ever dreamed of having superpowers or secretly wished for upgrades like Tony Stark, minus the capes and spandex (unless you're into that). In that case, this article is about to take you on an exhilarating ride through the realm of scientific possibilities and the pursuit of our true potential. So, fasten your seatbelts, grab your lab coat (optional), and embark on this hilarious and awe-inspiring adventure!

Unleashing and Understanding the Biohacking Movement

The fascinating nexus of science is biohacking. It brings together cutting-edge research and curiosities, fostering a community of modern-day scientists that aim to solve biological riddles and develop human potential. These biohackers, decked out in lab coats and equipped with beakers, strike the perfect balance between power and intelligence. They aren't creating potions for magical transformations or producing flying pigs. Instead, biohackers enhance our bodies and minds using biology, genetics, and cutting-edge technology. Imagine them as a cross between Dr. Frankenstein and MacGyver, pushing boundaries with implants, wearable technology, genetic engineering, specialized diets, and supplements. Biohackers are unafraid to undermine social norms, challenging how we define humanity and working on going beyond biological bounds. Biohacking serves as a playground for the intellectually curious and daring, a community where scientists, tech enthusiasts, and self-proclaimed geeks convene to exchange mind-boggling ideas and share knowledge.

Cognitive Enhancement: Einstein 2.0?

To unleash the latent potential of the human mind, cognitive augmentation, or as I call it, "brain bling," brings neuroscience, psychology, and technology. It's like attaching a rocket to your brain and giving it a turbo boost. Cognitive improvement can enhances memory, attention, creativity, and cognitive ability using brain-training activities, nootropic drugs, and brain-computer interfaces. The advantages are enormous, promising better concentration, enhanced output, and even higher IQ. In this developing profession, responsible use and ethical considerations are crucial aspects. We may resolve scientific advancement, individual development, and our fundamental values by understanding the potential and restrictions of cognitive augmentation. But let's remember to use our newfound mental powers for good and not to turn our neighbors' lawns into psychedelic art installations. So, put on your thinking caps, folks, because the future of brain bling is here to unleash the true power of our minds.

Physical Enhancement: From Wimpy to Schwarzenegger

Remember those days when you struggled to open a jar of pickles or carry groceries up a flight of stairs without wheezing? Biohacking has got your back through physical enhancement, where individuals seek ways to improve their strength, endurance, and overall fitness. From specialized diets and supplements to gene therapy and regenerative medicine, biohackers are actively experimenting with various techniques. For instance, CRISPR gene editing can modify our genetic code and enhance traits like muscle growth or cardiovascular health. However, such advancements raise ethical concerns and require careful regulation to prevent misuse and unintended consequences.

Forever Young: Extending the Human Lifespan

Ah, the never-ending quest for youth and immortality! Even if we haven't found the mythical fountain of youth, biohackers are also interested in extending human life expectancy and halting aging. Researchers are investigating therapies that can delay or reverse the effects of aging on the body by understanding the fundamental mechanisms of aging. Studies are being done on techniques including caloric restriction, senolytics (the elimination of senescent cells), and genetic therapies. While radical life extension remains unachievable, developments in this subject could lengthen lifespan and postpone age-related disorders. Therefore, bid those crow's feet farewell and welcome to a time when 80 is the new 40.

Ethical Considerations in Biohacking and Human Enhancement

Biohacking's pursuit of human enhancement poses essential ethical issues; ethical considerations are the gatekeepers to our scientific dreams. Critics claim that it might worsen inequality by dividing those who have access to improvements from those who do not. Concerns about the long-term security and unforeseen effects of biohacking treatments must also be addressed. It becomes vital to balance individual freedom and responsible technology use to keep biohacking moral and advantageous to society. So let's confront the difficult question: Is it okay to alter our genetics simply because we can? Creating a world where the genetically enhanced rule the dance floor or prioritizing equality? Let's not forget about consent. Consequently, while we explore the fascinating area of biohacking and human enhancement, let's keep our morals intact and remember that with great power comes hilarious responsibility.

The Future of Biohacking: Promises and Challenges

The future of biohacking holds excellent promises and significant challenges. Picture a world where we can customize our DNA, like ordering toppings on a pizza. With advancements in genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and neuroenhancement, biohacking can revolutionize healthcare, human capabilities, and overall well-being. Imagine personalized medicine tailored to an individual's genetic makeup, enabling targeted disease treatments. Enhanced cognitive abilities through neurostimulation could unlock new frontiers in learning and creativity. However, these promises come with ethical dilemmas and safety concerns. Ensuring responsible use of biohacking technologies, addressing issues of equity and accessibility, and establishing regulatory frameworks are vital to navigating the challenges ahead. The future of biohacking holds immense potential, but responsible innovation and thoughtful decision-making will be crucial to harnessing its benefits while safeguarding against potential risks.

In conclusion, biohacking and human improvement have everyone wondering where the line should be drawn. Will biohacking allow me to become a superhero? Should I get a brain update to recollect where I put my keys? Though there are excellent prospects in the future, let's maintain our concentration. Remember that it's acceptable to accept our flaws and occasionally lose stuff. We should approach biohacking with humor and a good dose of skepticism, never forgetting that we are already amazing in our current state. Go ahead and test the limits of what we're capable of; let's remember to take a step back, enjoy the show, and share a good laugh with the aliens watching us from outer space.

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Elevating Humanity Boundaries of Biohacking and Human ... - Siliconindia.com

For the first time in my life, I was seen.

With these words, AMCs Interview with the Vampire thrusts us into the gothic, twisted romance of vampire husbands Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Point du Lacone of the worlds most iconic, queer vampire relationships.

Interview with the Vampire is the first book in the Vampire Chronicles, a thirteen book (yes, you read that correctly) series by Anne Rice, which began in 1976. The novel follows Louis, a vampire who inflicts his life story upon a young journalist called the boy, later named as Daniel Molloy. Louis recalls a life spanning long, distraught decades, filled with loving and losing the famous French vampire named Lestat, adopting Claudia, a young girl who they bring into cursed immortality with them, and eventually finding his way to Paris, where things go from bad to worse. It is an emotional, sensual gothic horror novel that looks deeply into what it means to be a monster, what it means to be human, and is deliciously queer.

Despite being a major title in the gothic horror genre, theres been some argument as to whether Interview with the Vampire can truly be considered a quintessential queer gothic horror novel. This is probably because blatant declarations of queerness occur later in the series, after Interview with the Vampireafter many modern readers gave up and decried that subtext was not enough for them.

The 1994 adaptation certainly did not help. It never defines the nature of Lestat and Louiss relationship, nor Louis and Armands. Its representation of race is no better: after Louis dramatically frees his slaves, we never see another Black person again.

When AMC announced their plans for a TV show, I assumed their adaptation would remain as close to the book as the 1994 film had. Imagine my surprise when I learned that AMCs show was not only set in the early 20th century, but that Louis and Claudia were being played by Black actors.

As a Black, queer fan of the book, I was skeptical about this. Interview with the Vampire is many thingsgothic, haunting, lyrical, emotionalbut conscientious about race is not one of them. In the novel, Louis is a slave owner, and all the Black characters are enslaved, preyed upon by Lestat, and completely disappear after the characters leave the plantation.

I was skeptical about the production teams ability to portray a faithful queer relationship, and even less hopeful about their ability to portray a Black, queer man in a toxic, abusive romance with a white, queer man with substantially more power than him. The issue of being seen is one deeply entrenched in every queer person of color I know. It is so incredibly rare to see the experience of the double bind of racism and homophobia portrayed well.

Ironically, it is this very topicthe topic of sightthat lies so centrally to AMCs Interview with the Vampire. It is truly an adaptation in every sense, as it expands on the themes and relationships in the novel with new, modern insight. It cannot be divorced from its queerness (unlike the film) nor its Blackness (unlike the novel). Despite this, it manages to remain in conversation with both because, here, it is the power of being seen that matters most.

Screenshot: AMC

This adaptation does not fear the blatant queerness of its source material. Any fan of the Vampire Chronicles will tell you that the queer relationships are the beating heart of the series. AMCs Interview is spiritually in keeping with this: it is Louis and Lestats love story, embracing all of its yearning, vampiric coffin sex, and messy, tragic violence.

Framed as a response to both the film and the novelthe first episode establishes that this is Daniels second time interviewing Louis, which parallels the fans experience, since its our second time watching an adaptationyou can feel the conversation the adaptation is having with both the novel and the 1994 film.

AMCs Interview is the story of Louis coming to terms with his sexuality, of tryingand failingto build a family for himself after losing his own, something that is so resonant for many queer viewers. Even the source of Louis and Daniels relationship is queer, as the two met while flirting in a gay bar in the 1970s (in keeping with the original short story Anne Rice wrote about Interview, before she expanded it into a novel).

Instead of being enslaved, here the Black characters are given center stage. The season follows Louiss pushing back against rich white men who exploit his labor, with his grieving family, with raising Claudia as a young Black woman, and even with Lestat. Claudia, too, learns to navigate the world as she comes-of-age, both as a Black woman and as a vampire. The Black characters are no longer a negligible part of the story, they are the story.

In this Bridgerton-era of colorblind casting, the relevance of Louis and Claudias experience as Black peopleand Louiss experience as a queer Black manis refreshing. Never has the power imbalance between Louis and Lestat been more textual. Louiss struggle to find himself in a world where he knows one other queer, Black man, is one that is intimately familiar to queer people of color, especially queer Black people. The pilot episode sees him rushing headfirst into a relationship with Lestat, who sees him for the man that he istrapped in the double bind of racism and homophobia alike, forced to play a palatable role to survive the expectations of a white, heteronormative world. This is the double bind that Lestat frees Louis from. It is seductive, it is rich. It will be his undoing.

Louis and Claudias Blackness alienates them from Lestat, while deepening their bond to each other. Louiss newfound power as a vampire directly informs the way he pushes back to racism. This isnt the colorblind casting that has become so popular within recent diverse worksthis is an adaptation that genuinely wants to explore the Black queer experience, adding a new complexity to the power struggles between the trio that makes up this strange, toxic vampire family.

Screenshot: AMC

While Claudias own voice leaves much to be desired, with her own words in her diary often being ripped out, it is clear that the series wants to dig into these questions of power and of voice. Who decides who gets to be seen? How do we decide how much of another is seen? Is it another persons place to decide how much of another person can be seen by the world?

To see, to truly see, is to know. And to be seen, to truly be seen, is to be known. And what is more beautifully tragic than the mortifying ordeal of being known? To be seen and loved in tandemwhat more can any of us desire? What violence would we forgive to be seen and, in that same moment, to be loved?

Ultimately, I see AMCs adaptation as more than a modernization. It is in direct conversation with the novel and the 1994 adaptation. More importantly, its daring to go where its predecessors did not. It expands and modernizes the themes of the novelquestions of desire, power, intimacy, what it means to love and be loved in return.

I read Interview with the Vampire for the first time when I was thirteen, and Ive been in love with the series ever since. I was a grieving, depressed, queer girl and, ironically, the books made me feel seen. These are the themes I am so glad to see presented in AMCs adaptation, so gloriously explored and given the weight and power they deserve.

Interview with the Vampire will always be the perfect gothic horror love story. It is beautifully messy, it is brilliantly horrificbecause isnt love, at its core, always a little terrifying?

Interview with the Vampire will always have my heart. It understands, so intimately, the dangerous ordeal of being known.

Ashia Monet is a novelist and essayist from Pennsylvania. As a lifelong fan of myth and poetry (especially Sappho), her fantasy novels explore various forms of magic and monsters. Online, shes @ashiamonet on Twitter and @ashiawrites on Instagram and Tiktok. Her website isashiamonet.com.

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The Power of Sight in AMC's Interview with the Vampire - tor.com

Warning: contains spoilers for FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men #1A prelude to the upcoming reboot of Uncanny Avengers, which debuted in FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men #1, depicted Deadpool's mutant daughter Ellie and her adoptive mother Emily Preston being threatened by Feilong's new Stark Sentinels, a threat of violence that will make Wade go into a murderous rage like few times in his life.

Uncanny Avengers will follow a group of mutant and human heroes, led by Captain America, as they attempt to hunt and capture the illegitimate Captain Krakoa while dealing with the ongoing ramifications of the X-Men's Fall of X. Deadpool will join the team, fighting for mutantkind in the name of his daughter, who possesses the X-Gene.

The FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men #1 'Uncanny Avengers' story - from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Javier Garron - shows the anti-mutant hate group Orchis escalating their attacks against Krakoa, including a terrifying Stark Sentinel and apparent SHIELD agent approaching Preston's house to threaten Ellie, something that Orchis will most likely deeply regret, given Deadpool's history with his daughter.

Eleanor Camacho first debuted in 2013's Deadpool #19, daughter of Carmelita Camacho and Wade Wilson, although it was revealed that Wade heartbreakingly rejected his daughter when first introduced to her, thinking she was too beautiful for someone like him to have created. Slowly though, Deadpool and Ellie's lives became intertwined, and upon meeting again Ellie instinctively knew that Wade was her father, and since then she has become a central figure in Wade's life and an integral part of his growth into an antihero. Wade has had a lot of horrible things happen to him throughout his life, but both his daughter Ellie and his friendship with former SHIELD agent Emily Preston have been major highlights, with Deadpool placing Ellie in Emily's care permanently.

When Deadpool finds out that Orchis is threatening his daughter, he is going to absolutely lose it, and kill anyone in his way to protect Ellie and get her home safe. While the SHIELD agent who appears at Preston's home is wearing a SHEILD uniform, it is tinted red, a sign that this is an Orchis agent coming to round up Ellie. Deadpool has done some really brutal things to people who have threatened or hurt Ellie, like slaughtering every single member of the U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. organization after they tried to kill Ellie and the Prestons, and even giving up his costumed identity to keep them safe. Protecting Ellie brings out Deadpool's dark side like nothing else, and is one of the few times fans saw who he really is under the jokes - a stone-cold killer.

It was revealed in Deadpool vol. 5 #34 that Ellie has an X-Gene and is a mutant, and while her powers have not activated on Earth-616, a version of Ellie in the Marvel 2099 timeline showed that Deadpool's daughter has the powerful healing factor of "resurrective immortality," which causes her to resurrect as her teenage self whenever she dies. On Earth-616 this has not been canonically confirmed, so while Wade knows she is a mutant, her powers have not manifested and she is an incredibly vulnerable young woman, who he has fought tooth and nail to protect. It's likely that Cap doesn't know what he's doing inviting Deadpool into the Uncanny Avengers, as there's very little chance Wade will leave anyone who threatened Ellie alive.

While Deadpool treats most everything as a joke, the safety and happiness of Ellie are something that he takes incredibly seriously, since she is the best thing in his life. While slaughtering U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. was extreme, that organization didn't have the membership or funds of Orchis, and this time Deadpool will truly have to burn a SHIELD-sized organization to the ground to guarantee Ellie's safety. Wade's daughter being violently threatened by Orchis and Feilong's Stark Sentinels is going to go very badly for Orchis, as Deadpool will explode with rage when he discovers that Ellie is being hunted - and fans will have a ringside seat.

FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics is available now, with Uncanny Avengers #1 coming August 16.

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Deadpool Is About to Lose His Mind Like Never in Marvel History - Screen Rant

I titled this little essaywellyou know. But really? The battle today is about being not a dumber person. The forces of ignorance, in all their guises and forms, have us surrounded today. Encircled. Theyre laying siege to us. Our societies, our communities our minds. From ban the books!! to shades of burn the witch!! we live in an era that feels profoundly dislocating because something strangely unfamiliar is happening.

The world is getting stupider.

Now, that might sound funny, but only because its only a joke in the sense that its not. Think about history for a second. What was true, for a very long time? The world was getting smarter. I dont mean that in a linear way, or a universalizing way. But by and large, for most of parents, grandparents, even grandparents lifetimes a great trend in human civilization was that the world was getting smarter. Great systems of education were built, then advanced across gender and castes and races. Universities opened their doors to all. Science became a true public good, and anyone could access it, or at least enough of it. And sothe world got smarter.

This was an essential part of the story of human progress. But as now know, human progress has flatlined, and is going into reverse. And part of that Great Reversal in human progress is the facepalm-inducing fact that the world is getting stupider.

Theres a reason it feels as if all the people around you are getting dumber: They are. A study published in the journal Intelligence found that American IQs are dropping for the first time in ages. An analysis of 394,378 scores on intelligence tests taken between 2006 and 2018 showed that IQs had fallen in every category except for spatial reasoning. In logic and vocabulary, computation and mathematics, and visual problem-solving and analogies, scores dropped.

Now think about howweird everything feels. How everything feels so bewildering, unfamiliar, dislocating, strange, even sinister. Its not everything. Its justpeople. Scientists are still out there making advances, thinkers thinking, writers writing, artists arting (can I say that?).

But these days? You dont know. Youre sitting at the cafe, in line at the store, walking down the street. Hey, is that person amaniacwho believes that climate change is a hoaxand wants to wipe out the nearest girls school, gay bar, or library, with an AR-15? Maybe theyre just an everyday Trumpist or DeSatanist (can I call them that?), and are on a human hair trigger, ready to turn you in forreading a book with a gay character in it. Maybe they deeply, genuinely believe in the Satanic conspiracy to rule the world with microchips that are in vaccines so that Hillary Clinton and the Illuminati can gain immortality by drinking kids blood (thats Qanon, folks.)

Why do you have that creepy feeling when you dare to venture outside the door? Thats the feeling of the world getting stupider.

So the fight today isnt just to get smarter. That parts easy, actually. Here, let me tell you the secrets. Read. A lot. Real books, not bestsellers, and while they can overlap a bit, its rare they do often. Pick a favorite academic journal or three. Read those, too. Find a favorite mind, and read everything theyve every written. Do that for the living and the dead. Make an hour every day, without fail, at least, to reflect on what youre learning. Choose an activity that helps your mind do it lets it just tick away without even really thinking explicitly running, having a bath, making music. Turn off Netflix, Twitter, Facebook for all that time. Be uninterrupted. And finally, take some personal tuition reach out to people for coaching, advice, lessons, learning, whatever the subject is.

Got all that? The problem isnt that, really, though. Its the forces of ignorance encircling us, and laying siege to our societies and minds. So that far too few of us are capable of ever doing much of that. So lets begin with the meat of the subject. How to become a smarter as in less stupid person.

Number one. Dont politicize science. You know whats odd about today? Sciences claim to truth has been unseated socioculturally. Let me put that in plain English. Go on YouTube, and there, presented to you as equals, will be videos saying that climate change is a hoax!!and it actually exists. Therell be plenty more of those saying its a hoax, or it doesnt matter, or so forth, in fact, because, well, theres more money to be made that way. And for that reason, writ larger both-sidesing its now become a social norm to politicize science.

And this norm has come to dominate our societies. Its now perfectly acceptable to take some kind of flagrantly anti-scientific, anti-reality stance. To play the contrarian. And youll get plenty of time, in newspapers and on cable news and so forth, because for them, controversy sells. Demagogues license all this, by not just politicizing science, but actively legislating against it. Think of how many American states have a climate change plan LOL. Meanwhile, an impoverished country like Pakistan has a Climate Change Minister.

Think of Ron DeSantiss Florida. Why do demagogues attack science? Precisely because they need to unseat truth, so they can claim the throne for themselves. Only if science has been delegitimized can their Big Lies have room to grow, spread, multiply, proliferate. Demagogues need to claim their own big mouths as the one truth, gospel, objectivity, the final word thats how you exert authoritarian control over a society.

It wasnt always like this, by the way. Science and I use the term broadly here, to include everything down to social science was respected, once upon a time. In the 50s, 60s, 70s? Nobody was crying that the moon landing was a hoax. Even in the 70s when abilities like ESP or telekinesis go ahead and chuckle were a fad, they were scientifically investigated, even by, LOL, the CIA. Science had a legitimacy it doesnt enjoy today, and were all the stupider for it.

How did that happen? Well, decades of disinformation took their toll. People lost trust in institutions and systems as they got poorer, as downward mobility bit. And the watershed moment was probably Covid, where far too many even intelligent people, whole societies fell prey to incredibly foolish myths, like herd immunity. Even today, Covids been declared over whileitsstill one of our leading causes of death. LOL. And you expect people to believe in science when youre giving them that kind of free pass not to? When leaders treat truth with contempt, in order to claim its mantle for themselves we can hardly expect the average person to have much respect for it.

Two. Dont idealize philosophy. Treating science with contempt instead of reading it, engaging with it, learning from it, from climate change to biology to physics to sociology to economics is the first step in a process of radicalization. The next step is that person getting radicalized is told that their opinions count more than objectively established truths as long as they have the backing of some usually ancient philosopher.

You can see this happening on YouTube, too. Philosophys all the rage. Hey! I believe women and minorities arent really people, because this guy said so! And he said it because, hey, didnt someone say that human nature is cruel, and were only here for powers sake! And didnt the guy before him say that tradition and ritual is all there is? Or else were just animals!

LOL. Look philosophys just that. Its not meant to be idealized. When we begin to treat it as gospel, we make a serious mistake. Lets take a pretty simple example. Once upon a time, there were plenty of guys who said that democracy wasnt a worthy pursuit. People couldnt do it! Even if they did, what point was there! And over the last several centuries or so, something remarkable happened. The world became more democratic, and an explosion in living standards and human progress went hand-in-hand with that. What do we learn from this?

Philosophy is just ideas. Ideas meet the real world, and they can be road-tested. Every philosophy we encounter should pass a certain set of tests: hey, has this old beater been taken out on the road yet? How did it do? Did itgo anywhere? If not, that philosophys a failure. The second one goes like this: does this philosophy comport with what we know to be true? Plenty of philosophers have said and still do that some people are superior to others. What do we know from, wait for it, science? Thats not remotely true. Were all profoundly the same. Plenty of philosophers have said that human beings are innately cruel, selfish, etcetera. What do we know? Were all born profoundly empathic, giving, curious, and relational.

Dont idealize philosophy. Any philosophy. Life is here to be lived. Not according to the dictates of anyone, really, but you. You already know everything you need to know to live a fulfilling and sane and moral life thats the part about being born empathic, loving, curious. The rest is really just acting on it. In that respect, it was probably Aristotle, amongst philosophers, who got it right.

This drama has become a charade. Lets go back to radicalisation or as I call it, watching some poor soul get stupider. First they learn to hate knowledge itself, treating science with contempt. Then, theyre told their opinions not really theirs, the ones disinformation puts in their heads are bigger and better, because This Ancient Philosopher Agreed. And that makes a certain kind of person feel Very Smart. Wow, look at me! ImImDiogenes over here! Why, Im goddamned Pythagoras in the bathtub, shouting Eureka!!

No, youre not. And of those great, ancient minds? If they were alive today, you know what theyd be doing? Theyd be marveling at how much we know. Learning it, voraciously. And then philosophizing. About what it all meant, said, taught us. In moral, human, social, civilizational terms. About who we are, why were here, what were made for, etcetera. See the lesson? You have to know before you philosophize. Otherwise youre just engaging insophistry.

Do you want to know what one of the big problems with our world today is? The rise of modern day sophists. Whats a sophist?

In the second half of the 5th century BC, particularly in Athens, sophist came to denote a class of mostly itinerant intellectuals who taught courses in various subjects, speculated about the nature of language and culture, and employed rhetoric to achieve their purposes, generally to persuade or convince othersSophists did, however, have one important thing in common: whatever else they did or did not claim to know, they characteristically had a great understanding of what words would entertain or impress or persuade an audience.

The boldings mine. See the parallel? Make you chuckle for a second? Todays sophists are called pundits. Influencers. All these crackpot, wackjob figures that surround us. Who dont actually know much of anything but will opine on subjects they dont know about for hourson podcasts, videos, cable news, bestsellers, newspaper columns. And like the sophists of old, there they are, pretending to teach young people, who are dazzled, often, by their seeming display of intellect. But its mostly just rhetoric. Plus a change. Sophistry surrounds us because we have a sophist industry now, thanks to YouTube, Instagram, CNN, etcetera and its making the world painfully, shatteringly stupider.

That brings me to point number three. Dont devalue the arts. I mean that as an act. In the way you live your life. How do you.read? Listen to music? Do you ever evenI dont knowwatchdance? Ballet? Opera? How about music from around the world? Ever tried to learn another language?

You see, we live in a world now where the arts have little to no value, and I mean that almost in a literal economic way. Theyre fields which have imploded. Streaming pays so little that your favorite bands cant earn a living from it. Writing, such a meager income your favorite writers are perpetually struggling, unless theyre basically CEOs of their own industries, like, say James Patterson.

We can all stream, download, collecteverything and anything now. And yet precisely for that reason, the arts have no value, and its making us stupider. We have now a model of shallow engagement with a trillion things and depth with none. You listen to a song for 3.5 seconds, over and over again, and appreciate almost none. You put Netflix on in the background, surf the internet, barely pay any attention to both, and your brain is numb by the end of it. We need to choose depth over shallowness when it comes to our own attention and thinking if we want to be smarteror not just get dumber.

Let me give you an example from my own life, which is always risky, but its an interesting one. I make music. Disco. One of my favourite singers is French. I asked her to do a song with me. She said yes. I was thrilled. I went back to my song, and had a thought: wouldnt it becoolif half of this was in French? Problem: my French isrusty. LOL. Its definitely not up to lyrical standards. So I had to improve it. And it wasa marvelous and beautiful thing to experience. Writing lyrics in another language? Like poetry. And now I could see why French poets swore by the language. Write lyrically in it, compared to English, and its on another dimension of expressivity, beauty, purity, truth. The song was way better for it, but thats not the point the point is that I didnt want to devalue the art, and I challenged myself to learn something instead.

Art is there for a reason. Sure, therell be four guys, grad school freshman nerds, wholl want to dispute that Im sure your professor would love to. But in a real sense? Art is there for a reason. It teaches us. About ourselves. What it means to be us. Human, finite, frail. Tiny things, on a spinning ball of dust, in an endless universe of light. The struggle. You see it another person, a character, a protagonist. Whichever one it is, theyre all the same struggle and this is arts secret. Love. Grief. Longing. Death. Existence.

Art teaches us how to exist in this world. And when we devalue it as our systems almost force us to do these days, downloading it, streaming it, in quantities more fit for databanks than human engagement, intellect, thoughtour lives are diminished. We grow stupider, in the deepest way. Morally, socially, emotionally. We dont even recognize our pain as pain anymore, and then it becomes hate, spite, violence. The cycle of human folly repeats itself. Demagogues laugh. Sound like the world today? Yup, as in getting stupider.

Me? Theres a thought that runs through my head these days. I dont know how to exist in this world anymore. Its not just the spite, hate, ugliness, resentment, cruelty, lies. Not just the demagogues, their flocks of the fanatical, their legions of the murderously virtuous. Itsmore than that. How do you live in a world getting stupider? And isnt that a pretty good starting definition of dark age, anyways?

I guess, in the end, you fight em or you join em. Me? Im weary of the fight. Against human folly. Ignorance. All its names, from violence to war to cruelty to spite. But here I am. Because I cant join em, either. And that leaves me right here. I dont know how to live in this world anymore.

Good thing we have all that knowledge, all that art, all that philosophy, all that science, isnt it?

UmairMay 2023

Link:

Three Ways to Be a Smarter Person | by umair haque | May, 2023 - Eudaimonia and Co