I think the “social harmony” is an euphemism. Consider the average politician; yes, they unite the tribe, but they unite it against an enemy. Without an enemy (real or imaginary), there is no unity. No matter how much Heaven on Earth a politician promises, it always results in persecution of someone. Yeah, with the promise that once we succeed to kill all the wrongthinkers, then the paradise will come… but we already know that this never happens, what we get instead is an expanded definition of wrongthinkers, and so on, and so on.
To believe that the social harmony is the actual goal… is itself an autistic perspective. As in: autists take slogans literally. Neurotypicals are on a certain level aware that those are mere words, but also that it would be unwise to say that openly.
Instead, I would call it “organizing groups of people, to get advantage over those who are not members of this group”. Or even more shortly “coordination” (but in the context of: coordinating against someone else).
Which links nicely to the question: “Why Our Kind Can’t Cooperate”? Because most of us are on the spectrum, which on one hand gives us the freedom to follow our definition of truth, but makes us vulnerable to a coordinated attack from outside, and often unable to function effectively even in the absence of an attack.
those with Asperger’s are cognitively predisposed to be more rational
Oh, I wish this was true, but… it’s more of a necessary rather than a sufficient condition. Plenty irrational aspies out there (studying horoscopes, etc.). I would say that we are predisposed to follow our own path, regardless of the opinions of the society. But whether the path is reasonable, that’s not automatically guaranteed. Not even that it’s better on average.
People take most of their knowledge (not just verbal) from others, so if the society is relatively sane, that is a superpower. And it comes with a cost. You inherit a large bag of habits, where most of them help you survive day to day, but some of them block you from going further than that.
It will be interesting to see what Neuralink-like technologies will do with the linked humans. Will our best traits amplify? Or the worst ones? If one person is reasonable about something, and the other is nuts, will joining their brains help the latter see the light, or will it drive the former crazy? I suspect the answer will probably be something boring, such as both of them moving towards their average, or both of them moving randomly. Also, if you connect a neurotypical and autistic human, which traits will prevail?
we can research, influence, and act now
Can you, actually? I mean, if you can do the related research, I hope Elon Musk will hire you. I am not good at research myself. Influence? If you find a small group of people who will brain-connect and achieve superpowers as a result, I think more people will be happy to join you. You just need to come to a few Less Wrong meetups and demonstrate your superior abilities. Or rather, make your superior abilities widely known by achieving something newsworthy. Act? How specifically? According to Wikipedia only two people got an implant so far, so I guess even if you call Elon Musk and volunteer, you will probably be rejected now. The situation may become different in a few years.
I believe that for now we should focus on the more mundane methods of cooperation. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit many of us haven’t picked yet. (At least, I know I have not.) Before Neuralink, we should use phones and meetings in person. Instead of chatting about fun things, we should try doing projects together. (What projects? Well, self-improvement is always a good default option.)
But of course, when the technology is ready (at a reasonable cost), let’s try it.
I think the “social harmony” is an euphemism. Consider the average politician; yes, they unite the tribe, but they unite it against an enemy. Without an enemy (real or imaginary), there is no unity. No matter how much Heaven on Earth a politician promises, it always results in persecution of someone. Yeah, with the promise that once we succeed to kill all the wrongthinkers, then the paradise will come… but we already know that this never happens, what we get instead is an expanded definition of wrongthinkers, and so on, and so on.
To believe that the social harmony is the actual goal… is itself an autistic perspective. As in: autists take slogans literally. Neurotypicals are on a certain level aware that those are mere words, but also that it would be unwise to say that openly.
Instead, I would call it “organizing groups of people, to get advantage over those who are not members of this group”. Or even more shortly “coordination” (but in the context of: coordinating against someone else).
Which links nicely to the question: “Why Our Kind Can’t Cooperate”? Because most of us are on the spectrum, which on one hand gives us the freedom to follow our definition of truth, but makes us vulnerable to a coordinated attack from outside, and often unable to function effectively even in the absence of an attack.
Oh, I wish this was true, but… it’s more of a necessary rather than a sufficient condition. Plenty irrational aspies out there (studying horoscopes, etc.). I would say that we are predisposed to follow our own path, regardless of the opinions of the society. But whether the path is reasonable, that’s not automatically guaranteed. Not even that it’s better on average.
People take most of their knowledge (not just verbal) from others, so if the society is relatively sane, that is a superpower. And it comes with a cost. You inherit a large bag of habits, where most of them help you survive day to day, but some of them block you from going further than that.
It will be interesting to see what Neuralink-like technologies will do with the linked humans. Will our best traits amplify? Or the worst ones? If one person is reasonable about something, and the other is nuts, will joining their brains help the latter see the light, or will it drive the former crazy? I suspect the answer will probably be something boring, such as both of them moving towards their average, or both of them moving randomly. Also, if you connect a neurotypical and autistic human, which traits will prevail?
Can you, actually? I mean, if you can do the related research, I hope Elon Musk will hire you. I am not good at research myself. Influence? If you find a small group of people who will brain-connect and achieve superpowers as a result, I think more people will be happy to join you. You just need to come to a few Less Wrong meetups and demonstrate your superior abilities. Or rather, make your superior abilities widely known by achieving something newsworthy. Act? How specifically? According to Wikipedia only two people got an implant so far, so I guess even if you call Elon Musk and volunteer, you will probably be rejected now. The situation may become different in a few years.
I believe that for now we should focus on the more mundane methods of cooperation. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit many of us haven’t picked yet. (At least, I know I have not.) Before Neuralink, we should use phones and meetings in person. Instead of chatting about fun things, we should try doing projects together. (What projects? Well, self-improvement is always a good default option.)
But of course, when the technology is ready (at a reasonable cost), let’s try it.
i have a lot to say
appreciate all the points