Organoid Intelligence thread : When you struggle to improve on nature, slap it in a dish

[Some_porcupine]

 

[Ross_Я]

I think we can all agree that humans are the source of all evil, whether it's under the umbrella of religion or science - but let's not make this into an abstract im14andthisisdeep jerkoff thread, please. There are much more interesting things to discuss about consciousness embedded in tech.

Depends on what you will call "evil", I think.
And, at the same time, humans are the source of almost everything that is anyhow good. Nature is 95% cruel, merciless and brutal.
Like, as far as we know, humans are pretty much the only species which has a potential for compassion beyond a certain unit (usually family unit or a pack).
Granted though, humans are also capable of a hardly imaginable cruelty, which quite surpasses the natural cruelty.

Also, those Harlow's monkey experiments... Well, bet they could say a thing or two about people being attracted to their tamagochis and heart rate measuring slimes.

 

[Captain]

Source: Harlow, 1958, "Nature of Love" experiments.

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Humans are trash. This guy had mommy issues and became a psychopath...chasing the answers to why he was a psychopath.

Until we rise above our inherent faults, we are just a waste of time.

 

[Captain]

Depends on what you will call "evil", I think.
And, at the same time, humans are the source of almost everything that is anyhow good. Nature is 95% cruel, merciless and brutal.
Like, as far as we know, humans are pretty much the only species which has a potential for compassion beyond a certain unit (usually family unit or a pack).
Granted though, humans are also capable of a harldy imaginable cruelty, which quite surpasses the natural cruelty.

Also, those Harlow's monkey experiments... Well, bet they could say a thing or two about people being attracted to their tamagochis and heart rate measuring slimes.

We are only compassionate to our own convenience.

 

[Ross_Я]

We are only compassionate to our own convenience.

Clearly incorrect. A number of humans are compassionate way beyond their own convenience, and you can only really argue with that if you are really some kind of hardcore freudist... or hedonist... or something along those lines. At which point your opinion is pretty much irrevelant either way.
All in all, it is really not a simple question. Personally, on one hand, I do not like humanity much and I love the notion that evil is inherited by the hearts of men. But on the other hand, I love humans and try to help a fellow man out... probably way too much and often. And I think it is without a doubt that humanity accomplished a number of great things.

 

[Captain]

Clearly incorrect. A number of humans are compassionate way beyond their own convenience, and you can only really argue with that if you are really some kind of hardcore freudist... or hedonist... or something along those lines. At which point your opinion is pretty much irrevelant either way.
I mean, it is really not a simple question. On one hand, I do not like humanity much and I love the notion that evil is inherited by the hearts of men. But on the other hand, I love humans and try to help a fellow man out... probably way too much and often. And I think it is without a doubt that humanity accomplished a number of great things.

A lot of people's compassionate acts are fueled by ego or self interest. The other issue is people think compassion ends at humans. Those people in my mind are the most lost. Humanity has only helped itself overall. We don't give a fuck about anything else, we pretend to be when it suits us. We are fuled by capitalism and self interest. Pretending we are some glorious gift to the world is insanity. We have single handily destroyed this paradise we live on to make a buck. We've sounded the horn of country and religion time and time again to bring suffering down upon those who can't do anything about it. Until we come to terms with this we will never change. Everyone thinks donating $5 a week at church and putting a Jesus fish on their Prius makes them good. It doesn't.

 

[Ross_Я]

A lot of people's compassionate acts are fueled by ego or self interest. The other issue is people think compassion ends at humans. Those people in my mind are the most lost. Humanity has only helped itself overall. We don't give a fuck about anything else, we pretend to be when it suits us. We are fuled by capitalism and self interest. Pretending we are some glorious gift to the world is insanity. We have single handily destroyed this paradise we live on to make a buck. We've sounded the horn of country and religion time and time again to bring suffering down upon those who can't do anything about it. Until we come to terms with this we will never change. Everyone thinks donating $5 a week at church and putting a Jesus fish on their Prius makes them good. It doesn't.

I obviously cannot argue with that. That is why my intial post said "humans are pretty much the only species which has a potential for compassion beyond a certain unit". I really cannot help the fact that a good portion of humanity is barely beyond the status of apes, and some are even lower than that.
Still, the sole fact that we have said potential, that we even managed to develop it in the first place in a rather cruel and unforgiving world is already quite impressive.
We are not some glorious gift to the world, but we still have a chance to become one if we will eventually suppress the worst and the lowest of our qualities.

 

[Captain]

I obviously cannot argue with that. That is why my intial post said "humans are pretty much the only species which has a potential for compassion beyond a certain unit". I really cannot help the fact that a good portion of humanity is barely beyond the status of apes, and some are even lower than that.
Still, the sole fact that we have said potential, that we even managed to develop it in the first place in a rather cruel and unforgiving world is already quite impressive.
We are not some glorious gift to the world, but we still have a chance to become one if we will eventually suppress the worst and the lowest of our qualities.

Potential is there. But getting people to get there....well that might require a significant population decline and cultural unification beyond country and religion. I think we have such a large volume of people on this planet in various conditions and states of mind...I don't know how unification begins. Also don't know how we can think beyond ourselves when we build large cities that showcase vandalism and decay. Then at the same time blocking out the stars at night with more and more light pollution. Nobody is encouraged to think beyond themselves because we are busy creating an dystopian nightmare.

 

[StoicCabal]

Secular liberal types strangle spirituality in the name of material wealth and are then surprised when the result is a meaningless, soul-crushing existence for everyone else. More at 11

 

[Punp]

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Anyway, back on topic....

Someone mentioned Organoid Intelligence might bypass the transistor limit by making a room-sized brain. If that's not horror material I don't know what is.*

Can you imagine server farms needing stockpiles of oats and insulin to keep them running?

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This is very imaginable. Remember during covid when they had people doing all kinds of crazy shit based on government whims. Wearing masks, not wearing masks. In the UK they had people come out of their doors and windows at 5pm every day and bang pots and pans and clap for the NHS. It was the most braindead thing I'd ever seen - most of the people working for the NHS were at the hospital, and those that weren't were trying to sleep between shifts. How did they think any of that would've helped?

Your quote reminds me of the story "The Green New Deal" by No HP Lovecraft. In it people are forced to bow to the ideal of disposing of themselves to reduce their carbon footprint.

It also ties into the biohacking parody produced for TV with Greg Wallace where people must survive poverty by selling cultures from their body for meat products.

I can imagine a world where mental space is dedicated to server time, and it's not a future I want to live in.

*My friend also said they should do that, and "make it horny"... whatever that means. Maybe the dead internet will have a higher population of furry Twitter degenerates in the future.

 

[Some_porcupine]

This is very imaginable. Remember during covid when they had people doing all kinds of crazy shit based on government whims. Wearing masks, not wearing masks. In the UK they had people come out of their doors and windows at 5pm every day and bang pots and pans and clap for the NHS. It was the most braindead thing I'd ever seen - most of the people working for the NHS were at the hospital, and those that weren't were trying to sleep between shifts. How did they think any of that would've helped?

thats bad, like (for you)
thats called empathy

 

[LostintheCycle]

Would you use an OI machine?

Can it run Linux?

 

[Captain]

Can it run Linux?

No it runs proprietary UNIX that makes Stallman evaporate into thin air.