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On 2016-10-21 05:05, Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:<br>
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<div>### And Now For Something Completely Different - I just
noticed you are reading and commenting on the Unsong!</div>
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<div>A most uproariously complex and multi-level
intellectually entertaining prose, shading into poetry,
isn't it? And morally uplifting to boot!</div>
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<br>
The URL is <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://unsongbook.com/">http://unsongbook.com/</a><br>
<br>
Basically, this is kabbalist science fiction/satire/alternate
history, with people pirating Names of God from the big theonomics
corporations, accidental crashes of the virtual machine the universe
runs on, puns being serious business (since they represent hidden
correspondences in the universe), a very *different* War on Drugs
and end of the Nixon administration. Very fun. It inspired me to do
some multidimensional stochastic geometry:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://aleph.se/andart2/math/uriels-stacking-problem/">http://aleph.se/andart2/math/uriels-stacking-problem/</a><br>
<br>
Unsong also leads to an interesting philosophical question for
transhumanism: suppose we find that our current ontology of the
world is pretty wrong - maybe magic actually exists. It seems the
basic transhumanist approach still makes sense: figure out the
techniques that can enhance our abilities and long-term future, and
use them even if they are now magic spells, holy names or exploit
code for reality. So is transhumanism independent of the nature of
the world? Would transhumanist ideas make sense in any universe,
despite the very different tools, risks and opportunities?<br>
<br>
I think this actually may be the case if we say transhumanism is
about maximizing value of a certain kind. Obviously we have possible
worlds with no observers or no way of increasing value, but leaving
those aside we may say that transhumanism is about observer/actors
of value changing themselves to achieve greater value. <br>
<br>
But it is also possible to have possible worlds where the structure
of *value* is different from what we think is the case in our world.
For example, a theocentric world where one entity is the sole
arbiter and supplier of value would make transhumanism all about
changing or acting in such a way that the entity assigns more value
to the being changing. One can also make sneaky possible worlds
where change is against value (essentially worlds where
bioconservative notions are morally true). Now, many philosophers
would cheerfully argue that many of these worlds are not possible
worlds because they are inconsistent in various ways and hence
cannot exist. Some philosophers may even argue that there may be
only one structure of value that is consistent, so if we were to
find it we would have "solved" ethics. Maybe. <br>
<br>
But one interesting result of this ramble is that if we buy this
version of transhumanism as observers/actors changing to increase
their value (to themselves or in some global sense) and look at a
world where transhumanism is possible to do, then different states
of that world must have different value. That means that there has
to be relatively low-value states. Hence transhumanism *requires*
the existence of evil, or at least not-quite-as-good states. <br>
<br>
Not quite an answer to the theodice problem (unless you are a
religious transhumanist or a process theologician), but definitely
worth pondering. Omega point-like cosmologies that produce a godlike
entity of high value through deliberate actions of agents also seem
to require bad states. <br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dr Anders Sandberg
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University</pre>
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