If we can download "Kung Fu Master skills", would we do the same for "Greatest Thinker skills?" Could we software-update ourselves to be a better person? How, from technological and engineering point of view? What would happen if millions did download such skills and became Greatest Thinkers?
3. If we can download Kung
Fu Master skills, can we
download “Greatest
Thinker” skills?
Putting aside the validity of calling Aristotle (left)
a “Greatest Thinker”.....
Can we download a “desirable”
character or human nature?
+From an engineering perspective, how?
+What would happen if millions did so?
5. Other nomenclature:
redesigning of human nature
human software update
brain firmware update
update patch for cognitive biases
software transhumanism
human nature rewrite
What has been studied so far?
Closely related concepts
A subset of transhumanism?
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11017-018-9440-5
“The composite redesign of humanity’s nature: a work in process”
May be categorized as soteriology from a religious
perspective
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/rec3.12377
“Saved through technology: Exploring the soteriology and eschatology of
transhumanism”
What has been discussed?
“Moral bioenhancement won’t have a positive effect under the existing framework of nation-states.”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316801464_Redesigning_human_nature_Moral_bioenhancement_and_the_quest_for_the_resolution_of_political_conflicts
Redesigning human nature: Moral bioenhancement and the quest for the resolution of political conflicts
“Moral bioenhancement”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_enhancement
6. An easy-to-see dystopian
application of such technology
A despot directly controlling people
Stripping of individuality and ultimate totalitarianism
7. Potential application
Solution for issues originating from human
nature, i.e. bullying and harassment
Inclination (human nature) toward social
dominance over others, acquired through
the process of evolution -
This human nature is suspected to give
rise to bullying and harassment.
⇒Modification to this human nature?
Social hierarchy observed among apes
https://www.slideshare.net/PaulVMcDowell/primate-social-behavior-510637
Sociobiology
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A4%BE%E4%BC%9A%E7%94%9F%E7%89%A9%E5%AD%A6
Only the socially dominant alpha male
can pass down the gene.
8. A model for engineering applications
Prediction of consequences
before actually applying a
“software update” to people
・What to update?
・Technologically, how?
・This layered model (see
right) may help?
1. Genes & Epigen.
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
Environm
ent
Gives
rise
to
Politics & economics
9. Interpretations of known methods
Training
⇒Updating of 3 by the environment
PTSD
⇒2 or 3 altered by the environment, affecting 4
Designer baby
⇒Engineering of 1 to alter 2, 3 or 4
Downloading of Kung Fu Master skills
⇒Direct editing of 3
Downloading of “Greatest Thinker” skills
⇒Direct editing of 2 or 3 to change 4 or 5
Neuralink by Elon Musk
⇒Enables direct editing of 2 or 3?
Control of public opinions by AI through SNS’s
⇒Alters 4 by through environment to control 5
1. Genes & Epigen.
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
Environm
ent
Gives
rise
to
Politics & economics
10. Existing understandings and technologies
1. Genes & Epigenetics
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
Environ
ment
Genetics
Psychology,
Behavioral
psychology
Biotechnology
Neuroscience, BMI,
Neuralink, Neurosurgery
Education
Culture, customs
Mass media,
propaganda
Ideology, politics,
mob psychology
Hypnosis, EQ,
MultiAgent Model
11. (… at different levels)
Sufficient knowledge and
level of quantification for
engineering designs
Research in progress,
some engineering attempts
Lack of quantification and
reproducibility verification
hinders engineering
attempts
The above labels may not
be exact, but the general
consensus is that levels
of understandings differ
among the arrows.
1. Genes & Epigenetics
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
Environ
ment
Genetics
Psychology,
Behavioral
psychology
Biotechnology
Neuroscience, BMI,
Neuralink, Neurosurgery
Education
Culture, customs
Mass media,
propaganda
Ideology, politics,
mob psychology
Hypnosis, EQ,
MultiAgent Model
12. Which gene exhibits a certain behavior?
⇒Designed baby that behaves in a certain way?
Mathematical modelling of 3.) may enable
quantification of 4.) and 5.)?
⇒i.e. do religious values build a happy society?
Can we quantitatively define “Greatest Thinker”?
⇒Someone who can overcome cognitive biases
originating from human nature? Is simulation of
such character by AI a possibility?
If we have sufficient levels of understanding?
⇒Engineering solutions and need to discuss
their ethical and legal implications emerge?
What if we successfully model all layers?
1. Genes & Epigenetics
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
Enviro
nment
13. ”Top down approach”
1. Genes & Epigenetics
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
Design of a human nature optimized
for extreme social environments such
as Mars colony and interstellar
generation ship
Solution for issues originating from
human nature, i.e. bullying, violence,
harassment
Analysis of animal social dynamics
with distinctively different survival and
reproductive strategies, i.e. ants and
bees (lack of individuality?)
What human nature should be installed
to build a certain civilization?
14. ”Bottom up approach”
Avoidance of “rewardless labor”
observed among apes including
humans - if this is altered, “money” as
a concept may disappear.
Tendency toward social hierarchy
observed among apes - altering this
human nature may result in “High
Brands” vanishing
Would massive deployment of “model
Christian” behavior patterns actually
build the “Kingdom of God”?
If certain human behavioral pattern is
installed in a large scale, how would the
human civilization change?
1. Genes & Epigenetics
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
15. “SciFi”
What happens if we alter human nature? What civilization do aliens build
based on their physical body and behavior patterns? These topics are
currently reserved for only a limited number of works in science fiction.
A Non-human protagonist or such
with non-human cognitive patterns
may make the story not
understandable to human audience.
16. Attempts
in the past
“Civilization and human nature”
-Attempts to go against core human behavior pattern i.e. family, fails
in a relatively short term (ref: The Blueprint by Nicholas Christakis)
-Going against less obvious human nature, i.e. monetary incentive,
also fails a society (the rise and fall of communism?)
-Religions survived by concurring with the human nature(including
fairy tales, dependence, superstition, monetary incentives etc.?
1. Genes & Epigenetics
2. Human nature
3. Personality & ability
4.Microscopic society
5.Macroscopic society
External
branding
Internal
branding
18. Problem space
The human nature may hinder building of a purposed civilization (i.e. maximize happiness)
Closely related concepts and earlier works
Ethical bioenhancement is discussed in the field of philosophy and practical ethics.
Human nature is becoming a target of engineering attempts, i.e. Nuralink, Fake News AI
Shortcomings
Insufficient understandings on how human genome shapes human civilization.
Attempts on engineering a society or civilization in the past failed due to the above.
Thoughts
Quantitative evaluation of an attempt of ethical bioenhancement?
Mathematical modelling of how human genes shape civilization?
With such models, there may be possibility of doing a purposed human nature rewrite (brain
firmware update patch) or gene change to build a certain society or civilization.
Conclusion
Comments on the above thoughts?
Summary
19. Evolutionary psychology elucidates the origin of human nature and data science sometimes
quantitatively shows the validity of “traditional values”.
“Social norms” originates from certain human behavioral patterns common with apes?
Does the human nature obstruct the pursuit of happiness by other people? Can this be
quantitatively demonstrated?
Could AI be a better replacement for things the human nature can cause a problem?
If human nature is obstructing the pursuit of happiness by other people, could an AI despot be a
better solution in “maximizing the total amount of happiness” from a utilitarianist point of view?
If “morally superior” AI can be mass-deployed, what’s the purpose of human morality, noting the fact that
a lot of human values originate from the human nature common with wild apes?
Do dolphin civilization have real estate investment trust?
Dolphins have individuality and tendency toward ownership of resources just like humans do. They
may invent an investment trust, but the definition of “real estate” may vastly differ.
Potential good news
A good public education system can teach people how to cope with human nature and control its
negative side effects without relying on large-scale moral bioenhancement. An AI may be used to show
an objective solution to people who would otherwise be affected by the negative side of human nature.
Other thoughts
