This blog is the result of several seemingly unrelated articles: “Is technology making the world indecipherable?” (Aeon), and “In praise of slow thinking in the internet age” (Quartz). Latter article refers to another Quartz article: “Be like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett: If you’re not spending 5 hours per week learning, you’re being irresponsible”.
The terms fast and slow thinking come from the 2011 NYT best-selling book “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by 2002 Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman. Wiki: “System 1 is fast, instinctive and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical”. Also see my related 2017 blog Focus vs Distraction, and my 2018 blog The decline in common knowledge (2).
The evolutionary sequence in Life appears to be as follows: (1) awareness (all life-forms), (2) external curiosity (many animals, all humans), (3) consciousness (some animals, all humans), (4) self-awareness (certain animals, all humans), (5) internal curiosity (humans), (6) thinking (humans), (7) believing (humans), and (8) wisdom (humans). In panpsychism (my blogs), everything is deemed being conscious (Quartz, 2018).
Artificial Intelligent Robotics has already mastered awareness and external curiosity. I expect it will also master being conscious and self-aware.
I do not expect that AI will ever reach the state of unconscious, subconscious, or superconscious.
Also see my 7 August 2017 blog on The 4 levels of Consciousness – an integrated framework.
Technology is creating or facilitating a split between Artificial Intelligence – or Knowledge – and (human) Intelligence. Humanoid sapiens (my blogs) – or transhumanism (my blogs) – may once combine both again.
This split is consistent with the difference in fast and slow thinking. Technology and fast thinking are increasingly becoming the “same”.
Slow thinking is the breeding ground for creativity (eg, ideas, inventions) and/or learning. Ironically, technology does facilitate slow thinking but only when used properly (eg, Guardian #1, Guardian #2). Unfortunately, technology is also becoming an addiction; see my recent blog: Technology, the new Religion.
Slow Down (2016) by Douwe Bob – artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
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