[ExI] Paradiso and Inferno in Robin Hanson’s ‘The Age of Em’

[Giulio Prisco]

Paradiso and Inferno in Robin Hanson’s ‘The Age of Em’

My review of Robin's much discussed new book.

Come to Robin's presentation in Second Life next Sunday, June 26!

Robin Hanson’s future scenario in “The Age of Em: Work, Love and Life
when Robots Rule the Earth” reminds me of Dante. On the one hand, many
people will transcend (current concepts of) humanity and
“transhumanize” - a word invented by Dante in Paradiso, Canto 1 - to
become uploaded souls running on high performance computing circuitry.
On the other hand, they will live in red-hot metal cities that create
strong hot winds to disperse the excess heat generated by billions of
uploads computing their way to continued existence. The infernal city
of Dis, described by Dante in Inferno, Canto 8, comes to mind...

http://turingchurch.com/2016/06/21/paradiso-and-inferno-in-robin-hansons-the-age-of-em/