You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
The thing that annoys me about the "Caveman science fiction" people is that they never deal with hard cases.
They never talk about the vivisection debates, or the ethics of building a nuclear bomb, or the many times people have used dangerous chemicals without being aware of side effects. It's always argh blargh fundie luddites don't want us to save lives with stem cell research.
The thing that annoys me about the "Caveman science fiction" people is that they never deal with hard cases.
They never talk about the vivisection debates, or the ethics of building a nuclear bomb, or the many times people have used dangerous chemicals without being aware of side effects. It's always argh blargh fundie luddites don't want us to save lives with stem cell research.
It's very much a hot take from a position that isn't impermeable. One of those positions that a lot of western progressivism takes for granted.
There are, thankfully, many (if underground) pieces out there that focus on flaws in western progressivism. Here's one primarily talking about anti-queer bigotry vs religion.
The thing that annoys me about the "Caveman science fiction" people is that they never deal with hard cases.
They never talk about the vivisection debates, or the ethics of building a nuclear bomb, or the many times people have used dangerous chemicals without being aware of side effects. It's always argh blargh fundie luddites don't want us to save lives with stem cell research.
It's very much a hot take from a position that isn't impermeable. One of those positions that a lot of western progressivism takes for granted.
There are, thankfully, many (if underground) pieces out there that focus on flaws in western progressivism. Here's one primarily talking about anti-queer bigotry vs religion.
I used to be super into this kind of discourse until someone pointed out to me that lots of these sorts of bloggers tend to lob rehashed homophobic rhetoric against people who are insufficiently Queer i.e. white gay or bi people
not that there is anything wrong with that post, it's right on the money, but it just reminds me of things that make me wary
You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
The thing that annoys me about the "Caveman science fiction" people is that they never deal with hard cases.
They never talk about the vivisection debates, or the ethics of building a nuclear bomb, or the many times people have used dangerous chemicals without being aware of side effects. It's always argh blargh fundie luddites don't want us to save lives with stem cell research.
It's very much a hot take from a position that isn't impermeable. One of those positions that a lot of western progressivism takes for granted.
There are, thankfully, many (if underground) pieces out there that focus on flaws in western progressivism. Here's one primarily talking about anti-queer bigotry vs religion.
I used to be super into this kind of discourse until someone pointed out to me that lots of these sorts of bloggers tend to lob rehashed homophobic rhetoric against people who are insufficiently Queer i.e. white gay or bi people
not that there is anything wrong with that post, it's right on the money, but it just reminds me of things that make me wary
my phone won't let me edit posts so just assume that I said "white cis gay and bi people"
Oh man, yeah, I've heard a lot about that. There's a lot of serious infighting in queer spaces for various (mostly bad) reasons, from what I hear listening to some people I follow. Blog format certainly doesn't help (it's even worse on Twitter).
science fiction as predictive is a stupid ideal anyway. futurology is impossible, what we got correct is mostly by dumb luck
I don't like it. Most Western predictive fiction is all new-age red scare military bullshit anyway. Even if it's done as an allegory, the attempt to mold it directly to real-world events locks the entire genre(?) into cynical political commentary. Granted, most of my experience is reading about new Modern/Future Warfare games...
Aside, I wish I could find more whacked-out/far-future sci fi that doesn't immediately throw in AI, due to my Issues with Physicalism
why would the existence of AI be inherently physicalist?
the existence of an intelligence without a soul/whatever would not preclude intelligences with a soul/whatever
not that I believe in souls or anything
Depends on how you define Artificial Intelligence, I guess, though in my case (which is probably what you meant too) I mean like, sentience; something that Actually Has Feelings/human-equivalent empathy/etc. but has been manufactured knowledgeably by people. I guess in my head I think that if sentience can be reproduced perfectly through manufacturing, and the electric/mechanical/etc. system that produces sentience is understood, it would either mean that souls are just redundant existences with supernatural priveleges, or they just don't exist, since human sentience would just be an equivalent biomechanical system. I feel this sort of thing has extremely massive implications and while I'm getting better at ignoring them I still think it's jarring for this to be simply a trope taken for granted within science fiction.
Plus I like thinking about workarounds for synthetic sentience/cyborgism/etc.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
My favorite futurist idea is the one that says that every room and house would have a picturephone, and we could talk to each other as if we were in the same room or whatever.
And now everyone just uses SMS. "Who predicted the return of the telegram?" as Warren Ellis said.
There are Christian physicalists who just think God will recreate all of us in eternal new bodies after the second coming.
yntkt
I vaguely remember reading about this. IIRC Olde Christians, at some point, even had a particular burial tradition where they'd destroy the body in a specific way because they figured then it couldn't be resurrected.
There are Christian physicalists who just think God will recreate all of us in eternal new bodies after the second coming.
yntkt
I vaguely remember reading about this. IIRC Olde Christians, at some point, even had a particular burial tradition where they'd destroy the body in a specific way because they figured then it couldn't be resurrected.
All bodies will be perfect for us in the milennium.
I have wondered about people who would prefer being handicapped in some way, but I think that the important bit is "perfect for us", so if that is what they truly wish and if that is what would be for them perfect, it is how they will be. Not a lot has been revealed on this point, though, so that last sentence is just my speculation.
Comments
There are, thankfully, many (if underground) pieces out there that focus on flaws in western progressivism. Here's one primarily talking about anti-queer bigotry vs religion.
not that there is anything wrong with that post, it's right on the money, but it just reminds me of things that make me wary
/obligatory
Aside, I wish I could find more whacked-out/far-future sci fi that doesn't immediately throw in AI, due to my Issues with Physicalism
the existence of an intelligence without a soul/whatever would not preclude intelligences with a soul/whatever
not that I believe in souls or anything
dark souls
I trapped my left ring finger between some chairs and a metal trolley thing yesterday.
My finger is now turning purple.
I can move it about, but if I touch it then it's really sore.
Plus I like thinking about workarounds for synthetic sentience/cyborgism/etc. Ah jeez. Get well soon.
Clumsy Tools is clumsy.
I vaguely remember reading about this. IIRC Olde Christians, at some point, even had a particular burial tradition where they'd destroy the body in a specific way because they figured then it couldn't be resurrected.