In the long run nothing looks human that follows this logic. Preserving humanity might not be utilitarian optimal, but there is something to be said for aesthetics.
Indeed; hence the term “transhumanism” (and, relatedly, “posthumanism”).
Change is terrifying. This is to be expected, not least because most change is bad; in fact, change is inherently bad. Any change must be an improvement, must justify itself, to be worthwhile. And any such justification can only be uncertain. When we look out along a line of successive changes, what we see on the horizon terrifies us—all the more so because we can only see it dimly, as a vague shape, whose outlines are provided more by our imagination than our vision.
But the alternative is an endless continuation of the cycle, in its current form, with no improvement or hope for escape, until the heat death of the universe. That is far more horrifying. If that were all humanity had to look forward to, then we would have no need of Hell.
I am in favor of change. I am not in favor of existence without boundaries. I don’t have a moral justification for this, just an aesthetic one: a painting that contained arbitrary combinations of arbitrarily many colors might be technically sophisticated or interesting, but is unlikely to have any of the attributes that make a painting good imo. Purely subjective. I neither fault nor seek to limit those who think differently.
I am not in favor of existence without boundaries. I don’t have a moral justification for this, just an aesthetic one …
I share your aesthetic preference (and I consider such preferences to be no less valid, and no less important, than any “moral” ones). But no one here is advocating anything like that. Certainly Eliezer isn’t, and nor am I.
Aesthetic preferences are a huge part of our personalities, so who would agree to any enhancement that would destroy them? And as long as they’re present, a transhuman will be even more effective at making everything look, sound, smell etc. beautiful — in some form or another (maybe in a simulation if it’s detailed enough and if we decide there’s no difference), because a transhuman will be more effective at everything.
If you’re talking about the human body specifically, I don’t think a believable LMD (with artificial skin and everything) is impossible. Or maybe we’ll find a way to build organic bodies with some kind of reciever instead of a brain, to be controlled remotely by an uploaded mind. Or we’ll settle for a simulation, who knows. Smarter versions of us will find a solution.
In the long run nothing looks human that follows this logic. Preserving humanity might not be utilitarian optimal, but there is something to be said for aesthetics.
Indeed; hence the term “transhumanism” (and, relatedly, “posthumanism”).
Change is terrifying. This is to be expected, not least because most change is bad; in fact, change is inherently bad. Any change must be an improvement, must justify itself, to be worthwhile. And any such justification can only be uncertain. When we look out along a line of successive changes, what we see on the horizon terrifies us—all the more so because we can only see it dimly, as a vague shape, whose outlines are provided more by our imagination than our vision.
But the alternative is an endless continuation of the cycle, in its current form, with no improvement or hope for escape, until the heat death of the universe. That is far more horrifying. If that were all humanity had to look forward to, then we would have no need of Hell.
I am in favor of change. I am not in favor of existence without boundaries. I don’t have a moral justification for this, just an aesthetic one: a painting that contained arbitrary combinations of arbitrarily many colors might be technically sophisticated or interesting, but is unlikely to have any of the attributes that make a painting good imo. Purely subjective. I neither fault nor seek to limit those who think differently.
I share your aesthetic preference (and I consider such preferences to be no less valid, and no less important, than any “moral” ones). But no one here is advocating anything like that. Certainly Eliezer isn’t, and nor am I.
Aesthetic preferences are a huge part of our personalities, so who would agree to any enhancement that would destroy them? And as long as they’re present, a transhuman will be even more effective at making everything look, sound, smell etc. beautiful — in some form or another (maybe in a simulation if it’s detailed enough and if we decide there’s no difference), because a transhuman will be more effective at everything.
If you’re talking about the human body specifically, I don’t think a believable LMD (with artificial skin and everything) is impossible. Or maybe we’ll find a way to build organic bodies with some kind of reciever instead of a brain, to be controlled remotely by an uploaded mind. Or we’ll settle for a simulation, who knows. Smarter versions of us will find a solution.