Several centuries ago, terms like homo universalis, polymath, or Renaissance man were still in use. It represents “an ideal [] from the notion expressed by one of its most-accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti (1404–72), that “a man can do all things if he will” (Britannica). Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is another example.
The ever accelerating increase in Knowledge caused this ideal to be out of reach for – probably – every human. Science & Technology created solutions through the Technological Revolution of 1800-2100 and its 3 major waves so far: Mechanization(1800-1900), Automation (1900-2000), and Artificially Intelligent Robotics (2000-2100). Subsequently, a new Renaissance (2100 – onwards) might take place (my 2015 blog).
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics are necessary to support fast thinking in humans. It allows us to concentrate on slow thinking and being creative. The daily overload of fast thinking is already wearing us out, both emotionally and physically. Fake news (my 2016 blog) thrives with fast thinking. Separating between fact and fiction requires slow thinking.
Any new technology wave is likely to create a new addiction (eg, car, TV, PC, game console, social media). A positive explanation is that the addiction is about learning the pros and cons of that technology. For several months, I was once hooked to my Commodore 64 (1982-1994) and its gaming and its BASIC coding capabilities.
The 3rd technology wave of AI Robotics is likely to create new addictions, such as a virtual reality adventure parks and/or amusement parks, like Westworld (my 2016 blog, book, 1973 movie, 2016 HBO TV series). Another likely (future) addiction might be sex robots. Westworld (1973) already integrates both concepts. Virtual and/or augmented reality are also bound to change the way we learn (eg, elearning-2016, Medium-2017).
The end of the 3rd technology wave of AI Robotics may also bring the successor of Homo sapiens, being Humanoid sapiens (my blogs). The philosophical concepts behind this development are Accelerationism and Transhumanism. Humanoid sapiens would (once again) be able to combine fast and slow thinking. Most likely, Humanoid sapiens would also finally be able to escape the Great Filter in the rise and fall of nations (my blog).
Every force always has a counterforce. Nowadays, Science & Technology are still in the Knowledge dimension of the 7 Belief systems. The decline in Religion and the increase in Technology may cause a future swap between these dimensions. Also see my recent blog: Technology is our new Religion. This would be the negative scenario.
FT, 2018: “The Fangs — Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google — are having a crisis that encompasses the cognitive, the political and the economic. Activists, regulators and even some tech executives themselves are calling for an investigation into the addictive nature of smartphones and social media.” To some extent, Technology is the new “bread and circuses“.
Temptation (1983) by Heaven 17 – artists, lyrics, my 2016 blog, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all italic markings by LO
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