A Sketch of a Bright Future

I haven't posted on here in 2 years, so it's about time now. When I hear of global issues today in the news, it never seems like news to me. Just the same inane process unfolding, getting closer and closer to bursting of its own hypocrisy. Hence, this post. Surely these views and ideas are not all my own, though some are.

The world is full of passionate, intelligent, caring, open people. Human beings are a beautiful species, and the limits of our abilities are virtually non-existent. I believe these statements to be true, but when I take a look at our world today I see something different. Somehow there is a disconnect between the brilliant ideas, the compassionate individuals, and the yearning for a sense of harmony on our planet, and the trajectory of the nations that make up our planet earth.

The reason for this is that there is a small subset of the human population that is in control, using its power to serve its own interests. Of course, this is old news - the people's interest has often been overlooked in favor of special interests such as wealth and power. This is a necessary aspect of the system of hierarchical governance that is ubiquitous throughout our planet today and throughout the course of our history.

Whether a leader assumes power through a violent coup or is voted in democratically, the outcome is similar: once people are in power, they are subject to being overcome by greed and special interests, and public opinion goes out the window. In the case of a democracy, our leaders serve us only insofar as to get re-elected. This is a form of manipulation, not cooperation, not leadership, not servitude. These politicians cannot be blamed, because the problem is at the root of our system - the individuals in power are merely placeholders in a program fraught with error.

Electing a leader or even a party is an extremely low-resolution image of public opinion, both temporally and spatially. I'll use Canada as an example for the rest of this, as it is the country I live in - but I believe that my points will hold universally.

In Canada, we vote for a party in the national elections once every 4 years given a majority government (with a minority government it may be less than that). That is a snapshot, if you will, of public opinion, that only occurs once every 4 years. Imagine watching a video that was composed of stills taken once every 4 years. Perhaps this would be useful for documenting glaciers receding, but surely Canadian public opinion evolves more quickly than that!

Now consider these snapshots of the glacier to be of extremely low fidelity, and you start to get an idea of how Canada (and the rest of the world) is governed. The issues discussed in the months leading up to an election are the issues that the political industry wants to discuss. They are safe issues, easy to understand issues. Issues that are easy to take a side on, and most are discussed with emotionally loaded rhetoric that is engineered to drive the population to take strong, emotionally-based stances on issues. There are also issues that come up during the 4 year period of a party's power. These issues never see the influence of public opinion, unless it is clear that it could influence the next election. The image I hope to describe here is one of an extremely low-resolution representation of the people. Mind you, this is a dramatically simplified overview of Canadian politics, but even if one considers the roles of the various levels of government the same applies.

Our system discourages politicians from being honest. It is not in their interest to be honest about their opinions - they must instead carefully craft them in order to ensure popular vote in the next election. This cripples the chance of any real dialogue between politicians, and turns politics into a popularity contest for power. Again, these people cannot be blamed for this dishonesty - they are playing by the rules (for the most part). The rules are imbalanced and broken.

Once in power, politicians are often indebted to their financial benefactors - the ones who made it possible for them to win the popularity contest through expensive campaigns, which amount to social engineering and quasi-propaganda. Another nail in the coffin of the now comical ideal: "A government of the people, for the people and by the people."

These are the reasons for the staggering disconnect I mentioned above. This system is outdated, conducive to corruption, and every day proves its own inadequacy in a new way. There is a logical method of proof, called reductio ad absurdum, which is Latin for, roughly, "reduce to the absurd". What it amounts to is suggesting a proposition, and following its logical implications until you reach a contradiction. You can then conclude that your suggested proposition is false. This is the point that we have come to with our democracy. We have followed our current system's logical progression, and have now entered the realm of the truly absurd.

How then, do we move on from here? Until recent years, I believe the current system was really our only way - the best we had. Today, we have technologies that can facilitate a new form of government. What I present here today is a rough sketch of a new form of self-governance. One which is non-hierarchical, self organizing, dynamic and truly democratic.

The crux is that for any decision that needs to be made, the entire population is encouraged to contribute to discussion, and ultimately to vote. What makes this system truly organic is that absolutely every aspect of it is open to change, if that is what the people decide. This is a crucial point. No civilization or mode of governance has survived indefinitely, and often they fall through violent revolution. This system removes the necessity of revolution, because built into the system itself is the ability to change its very foundations. I've heard it said that people today find it easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism. Why should any ideology be so rigid that we cannot imagine its end? Clinging to ideas is a source of suffering. It is only by being completely open - considering nothing to be axiomatic - that we can be truly free as individuals and as a society.

I'll begin by describing the voting process, which is likely simpler to implement than the discussion aspect. Rather than voting for a leader who then makes decisions, in this system every person would vote on every decision that the leader would have had to make. Of course, not everybody would want to vote on every issue. Personally, I would probably not participate on decisions regarding the Newfoundland elementary school board. If I cared to, though, I could, and my opinion would matter. The idea here is that people would only vote on issues that concern them in some way. This would result in the votes being in general more informed. If I were forced to vote on the Newfoundland school situation (and every other decision), I would likely vote at random on the votes that didn't concern me, just to get it over with. Switzerland employs a system of (limited) direct democracy that has some similarities with what I describe here.

The discussion aspect of this system is central to the system producing informed, mindful decisions, and is what makes this system, to my knowledge, unique. This would take the form of an online forum and/or wiki, where people could discuss upcoming decisions, what their opinions are and why. Individuals could gain credibility within certain domains of discourse, resulting in their posts having more weight, or possibly their vote having more weight. One possibility is that this form of discourse could render actual voting unnecessary. If a consensus can be reached through discussion, there is no need to vote, and everyone is happy. Of course, comprehensive guidelines would need to be in place to ensure that the discussion doesn't denigrate to emotional mud-slinging and name-calling. More on that topic in a later post.

This level of dialogue has been impossible before such enabling technologies as personal computing and the internet. With today's myriad gadgets in our pockets and on our laps, people are always connected. Social media websites such as Blogger, Twitter and Facebook have shown that people have a strong desire to share their opinions. Intelligent conversations occur online constantly, concerning issues that affect millions of people worldwide. You would never guess it if you turned on a television - that level of discourse is not represented through mass media, because it is impossible to control. The system I propose would make those views heard and allow them to truly influence the trajectory of societies on a municipal, national, and global scale.

As I said, this is a rough sketch of what this system could possibly look like - and it is intentionally vague. Because I am only one person, my conception of this system is probably incomplete and full of holes. The beauty of this system is that an early version could be used to determine its own details. In the form of a wiki, online forum or both, the system would self-organize into something that everyone could get behind. So, all that is necessary is for the seed to be planted, and with some luck and global participation it could grow into a democratic system of governance that is truly of, for and by the people. As far as I can tell, this is the best way to get the highest fidelity image of the public's opinion (short of reading our minds in real-time), resulting in a world that truly reflects the interests of its inhabitants.

Of course, even with a completely horizontal form of government there will be individuals who seek to steer policy in their favor, possibly ignoring the well-being of others. The public discourse, however, would bring these arguments to light. At the end of the day, decisions would be based solely upon reason; any emotionally, selfishly, irrationally, or spitefully conceived propositions would be seen and dismissed as such, hopefully enlightening their proponents in the process. It is in this way that people who seek personal gain over mutual benefit would have no power. In today's society, this self-serving behavior is revered and rewarded.

In fleshing out this idea, I've thought of some potential issues regarding implementation. If anybody has any others, I would love to discuss!

Voting fraud: I've though a lot about how to ensure that every person has a singular presence within this system, and the conclusion that I've come to is that some sort of online ID would be necessary - but one that retains anonymity while being unique. The issue of a global online ID that is directly linked to your person is frightening to some, and with good reason. Perhaps a later post I will discuss the risks, benefits and implications of such a thing.

Accessibility: In discussing this system with others, many have mentioned that not everyone has access to the internet. Sure, not everyone has access at home, and not everyone can even get to a public library. To ensure that everyone is able to participate, some funding would need to go to providing much more accessible internet - perhaps even treating internet access as a basic human right, which has been done by the UN, but (as many things with the UN go) little action has been taken to reflect this declaration.

It is important to note that our current system is not perfect with regards to voting fraud and accessibility. In fact, corrupt leaders have put effort into preventing people from voting, and dead people have even voted in some elections.

Final thoughts:

In my previous post, I discussed the ever-increasing complexity of energy - the tendency for energy to form patterns of patterns of patterns. If a system like this were to be implemented on a global scale, the human race (perhaps even the planet) could begin to take the form of one immensely complex organism, all of its parts functioning in harmony. Here, people start to look strikingly like neurons in a global brain, perhaps signalling the next leap in the evolution of organization. It has been speculated that artificial intelligence will not be realized within the realm of computing but will instead take the form of a global mind. The global adoption of this system, or one like it, could certainly lead us in that direction.

If one considers the human brain, the analogy is strikingly appropriate. Huge numbers of cells, each its own organism, but working together to create something larger than themselves. The cells all have their own unique perspective, and it is not uncommon for a person's mind to be filled with contradiction or mixed feelings. However, the macro-scale trajectory of the person is singular. Likewise, us humans may have different ideas, perspectives, and desires, but the days of isolated countries and colonies are over. The time has come to identify as a planet - the distance between us shrinks every day as our population grows and our communication becomes more sophisticated. We must act accordingly - as a whole, made up of billions of unique parts. The system I propose is the central nervous system of this being - the neural framework necessary to facilitate such unity.

Achieving such global unity signals the end of the zero-sum game, and the beginning of a world which is more like a dance among brethren than a battle between enemies. In dancing, there is only the joy of being, both as an individual and as part of the dance, the music - part of something greater than one's self.

Aleph

I'm about to tell you my story. Indeed, it is your story as well. And everyone you know. But it started with a guy named Clyde.

Clyde woke up that fateful morning feeling excited. He was getting paid well for his participation, with the promise that he could very well be a part of something huge. Getting out of bed, he had no idea how huge.

The procedure was to increase Clyde's mental control, much like meditation. He wasn't told much else, not even how long he'd be there. "Be here on time, and expect to be here for a while", was all he was told.

Once Clyde had arrived and been processed, he was sat in an operating room chair and put to sleep. Upon waking, he didn't feel any different, but he was in a much more comfortable room, with beautiful sofas and a roaring fire. Out the window Clyde looked out over a fabulous mountain. This struck him, because when he went to sleep he was hundreds of miles from so much as a large hill.

As this thought came to him, so did the voice:

Clyde, what you are experiencing is a virtual reality. None of this actually exists outside of your mind. During the operation, we implanted a remote beacon to each neuron in your brain. These beacons transmit information about the activity and location of your neurons to our computer, which analyzes this data and sends information back through your sense organs. The information you receive is thus dependent entirely on your brain state. As you might imagine, it is very difficult to produce anything coherent...

Instantly the room disappeared and Clyde's experience became a static abyss. His mind clawed desperately for some coherence but the static overwhelmed him, and for what felt like an eternity each of his five senses felt pure, agonizing chaos.

Then he was back by the fireplace, feeling again the comfort of coherent sensory data. Then the voice:

That wasn't very pleasant, was it? Luckily, you can learn how to control your virtual environment. Let's start with something simple. Look at the screen on the wall opposite the window. We will link its display to your brain state in such a way that it will be capable of displaying any one of the 26 letters of the alphabet, but nothing else. Go ahead; try to manipulate it with your will.

Clyde looked at the screen, which presently looked like any normal television static. He thought of putting the letter "A" on the screen, but to no avail.

Keep the screen out of your thoughts, Clyde. Empty your mind of everything but the letter.

Clyde pictured a large, bold letter "A" in his mind, and tried to clear his mind of anything else. The letter "A" flickered onto the screen.

"I did it!” exclaimed Clyde, becoming excited.

Don't get too excited, you've a ways to go before we're through! Take a while and get comfortable with the alphabet, and then we'll move on to what's next.

It wasn't long before Clyde could manipulate the display to show any letter he wanted. He even started moving between letters to make words. "H-E-L-L-O-W-O-R-L-D", he thought with a smile.

Now you're coming along! Now that you're feeling good about your abilities, we're going to make things a little more complicated. We're going to add color. Now try to create letters with different colors.

Clyde wasted no time. Before long, he was creating multi-colored words on the display with ease. The feeling of having such intimate control over something external filled him with glee. The display became an extension of his consciousness, albeit one with limitations.

Now things are going to get more complicated...the display will consist of a 5*5 matrix of pixels which will either fire or not fire. Try to control the pixels at will, and we'll move onto the next step.

Clyde took to the new task with relative ease, and things went on this way for a while. The display grew in resolution and in color. Before long, Clyde's mind was creating intricate patterns on the display. The display was intimately entwined with Clyde's brain state in real-time, and he began to create beautifully colored, morphing patterns reminiscent of his college days as a psychonaut.

Have fun exploring your abilities, Clyde. We'll know when you want to move on.

What Clyde felt was what artists wish they could feel. Complete continuous control over their medium. The difference between Clyde's situation and that of a conventional artist was that the nature of this experiment had abolished the discrepancies between his mind and his medium. Indeed, his mind was his medium. His creative juices needed no outlet - they were on full display.

Although this sort of pure expression was beautifully fulfilling, Clyde began to wonder what could be next. As this thought came to him, the display went blank.

Already want to move on, do you? We’re going to teach you how to create sounds now. There are speakers attached to the display. They will play a continuous tone of anything within a twelve note octave. Try to produce notes at will – it should be easier now that you have trained visually.

Clyde thought of an old nursery rhyme that his mother used to sing to him, and focused on the first note. His concentration had indeed improved considerably since he began learning to manipulate the visual display, for within moments he had the speakers playing that first note to Mary Had a Little Lamb. Before long, he was moving up and down the chromatic scale with ease.

Like with the visual display, his interactions with the speakers grew more complex. Initially the tones he produced were similar to those of a PC speaker. Soon he was producing sounds from a variety of instruments, and finally he was again limited only to his imagination. Music theory became an unnecessary tool for Clyde, as it is simply a means of describing what sorts of sounds are pleasing. There was no need to understand why these sounds were pleasing, but his ear knew that they were. It became clear to Clyde – who always though of himself as unblessed by any creativity – that what people thought of as creative talent was simply the ability to retrieve their creative insight with minimal loss of information. By practicing and dedicating hours to practicing their craft, artists hone their skills to be able to effectively express their creative essence through their medium. Everyone is able to imagine, it is only a matter of translating inner experience to something that can be shared. Now, for Clyde, imagination was the only step.

Once Clyde had had enough free musical expression, he was trained rather quickly to control the senses of taste, touch, and smell. Possessing impeccable concentration and mental control, he sat on a leather couch feeling proud.

You’ve learned quickly, Clyde. Do you remember how uncomfortable it was when you had complete control over your experience? We believe that you’re ready to try that again…

The room disappeared, and Clyde was thrust into a world which mirrored his mind. The shock of such a drastic and sudden change made it difficult at first to sustain a clear experience, but Clyde knew how to take control. In short order, Clyde was in complete control over his experience. The data coming through his sense organs was entirely determined by his mental state, which in turn was completely deliberated. His control was like that of an experienced lucid dreamer.

Clyde used his God-like powers to experience things that he had always wanted to experience, as well as things he never thought would be possible to experience. He flew over vast mountaintops, dove into deep oceans, made himself the size of a planet and soared through galaxies of his creation. There were limits, however, to the experiences he could produce. Because his brain had a finite – albeit enormous – amount of neurons, the complexity of his experience had a proportionate limit. As much fun as it was to have such control over his experience, Clyde felt that he would grow tired if this was all there was. To reach a plateau – even one so wonderful – meant no more growth.

Suddenly his world distorted, and as hard as he tried he could only maintain minimal control. He knew something was up even before the voice came to him.

You crave more, do you? We’re not surprised, Clyde. You see, people don’t like to feel stagnant. It is human nature to thrive, to grow. Lucky for you, there is still room for growth.

Clyde found himself again in what he now thought of as the lobby. Across from him sat a…person. This person was seemingly genderless, and with the most indescript features.

Clyde, this person – you can think of them as Frank – has undergone the same procedure as you. You will share your control over your experience. You will train together in the same way that you trained individually, but you will have to cooperate in order to produce anything coherent. To keep things simple we have removed any distinguishable features from his representation in this room. It will make the transition much easier, we believe…

The two pioneers shared a glance, and got right down to business.

“Let’s start with an ‘A’” said Clyde…

Letting go of his control made Clyde feel vulnerable at first, and he was reluctant to share with Frank. Soon, however, he learned that letting go was more rewarding than keeping his protective walls in place. Frank’s indescript appearance indeed made it easier to let him into his mind. The two were flying through the training process. With each advance the distinction between Clyde and Frank faded, and they experienced the joy of interpersonal connection. Their brains slowly learned to share the work, similarly to how multiple computer processors can work in parallel to perform complex tasks. By the time they were in complete control of their shared sensory experience, they were functioning as one, and the feeling of being so intimately entwined with another’s creative experience filled the pair with ecstasy. With twice as many neurons at their disposal, the two shared an experience twice as complex. This new frontier of experience kept the pair – it may be more accurate now to refer to them as one…we’ll use the name aleph – busy for some time, exploring this newfound potential. Of course, after a time, aleph began again to long for growth. As this longing took hold, he felt a slight disturbance in his ability to control his experience.

Back in the lobby, aleph met another newcomer. Aleph immediately knew what to do, and trained with this newcomer. Once their training was complete, aleph’s experience had increased in complexity and in joy. Slowly more brains were absorbed into aleph’s experience. With each consciousness merged, the process became faster, as aleph had more power with which to reach out to the newcomer. At first hundreds, thousands, then millions of minds made up aleph’s existence. The process quickened to the point where aleph experienced not joy, but ecstatic acceleration.

Then, a halt…a plateau. Aleph ceased to grow. After experiencing such exhilarating, accelerating growth aleph was not content to remain even at a level of such awesome power.

There’s nobody left to join you…those of us that remain on the outside must stay here in order to maintain the machinery. Enjoy what you have; you are like a god now.

Like a god!

“I can experience anything I want, and perpetual growth seems to be the only thing that satisfies me”, thought aleph, “Of course!”

Aleph dipped into the virtually limitless bank of knowledge at his disposal, scanning for the information he needed. Once everything was in place he said goodbye to his present self, for what he now recognized to be neither the first nor the last time…

Growth – evolution – energy self-organizing into more and more complex patterns. This is the essence of life. It began with the big bang, with energy forming into matter. Then more complex elements formed, and then molecules. Molecules eventually came together to form cellular life, which in turn came together to form multicellular organisms. About 600,000 years before the growth of aleph, homo sapiens evolved, possessing immensely complex neural networks. It wasn’t until that day when Clyde walked into that fateful experiment that evolution began to occur on a scale of minutes rather than generations – to form aleph.

There was only one way to continue to grow, aleph realized. He had to restart the process. He drew upon his vast computational power, and began a simulation.

Several billion years later, Clyde once again woke up that morning feeling excited.