SPECIAL EDITION: Updating the Conversation...
HOW THINGS WORK SPECIAL EDITION – CONSIDERATION #141
Be A Part of the Conversation!
Tuesday June 18, 2014
“As self-conscious creatures, we question our experience in terms of our unique relationship to it.”
– Frank Elkins (Book I-Dualism)
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
We have been considering Book II for a while and I thought it would be a good time to clarify how the Free Weekly Newsletter is connected to a much larger project. Over the past five years I have been working on a six-part book series entitled “How Things Work: A Brief History of Reality.” It is designed to follow the development of human consciousness starting from inductive logic, or dualism, to the creation of a new digital consciousness called Artificial Intelligence. I am now completing the final book in the series, The Rational Being.
“…we cannot understand digital consciousness without first understanding human consciousness…”
The point of the book series is to consider the critical elements that played a major role in the evolution leading to the next major gestalt in human consciousness: Artificial Intelligence. Many people are just beginning to understand how important, and dangerous; this next step is. Human beings, all human beings, need to have a basic understanding of what is about to happen and how we can still influence it before it is too late. However, we cannot understand digital consciousness without first understanding human consciousness; something most people do not think about much anymore.
“Artificial Intelligence is not a choice, it is an inevitability.”
The newsletter is a tool designed to publish all six books in their entirety, along with additional new commentary, eventually giving everyone free access to all of the considerations. Once a book is completely published in the newsletter it is re-released with the additional commentary as a Substack Edition Book. Book I, Dualism – Recognizing the Patterns of Reality, is the first book to be re-published as a Substack Edition with over 200 pages of new material and commentary. The first half of Book II, the longest book, has also been released as its own Substack Edition called, Science. We are currently completing the second part of Book II, Religion, in the weekly newsletter.
This week we will consider how all six books in the How Things Work series fit together in understanding how we got here. Artificial Intelligence is not a choice, it is an inevitability. Perhaps an existential inevitability if we do not get it right.
CONSIDERATION #141 – Updating the Conversation
This is a brief synopsis explaining the arch of the six book series:
BOOK I (Substack Edition) – Dualism: Recognizing the Patterns of Reality, encompasses the first thirty-nine newsletters, or considerations. The tagline, “From the apple in the Garden of Eden to the Apple in Cupertino California,” reflects a concept of dualism ranging from “good and evil” to “zeros and ones.” Setting the foundation for understanding human morality and digital intelligence.
“From the ancient Greek philosophers to the creation story in Genesis, dualism permeates our understanding of how things work.”
In Book I, you will learn to recognize and understand the critical influence dualism has had on our perception of reality. From the ancient Greek philosophers to the creation story in Genesis, dualism permeates our understanding of how things work. Plato, Aristotle, Physics, Metaphysics, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, the Age of Reason, Rene Descartes, the Scientific Method, the birth of the United States of America, Capitalism, slavery, the Civil War, Hegelian philosophy, Marxism, analog technology, and digital technology are all considered as key events directly leading to our current perception of reality.
Dualism is the foundational principle behind the development of Artificial Intelligence. (Free Weekly Newsletters 1-39 are a complete re-publication of Book I)
“The first glimpse of reality came through our direct experience with the incongruent patterns of existence… This duality served as the gateway for considerations far beyond the world of experience, into the world of understanding.”
Book I – Dualism
BOOK II – The Power of Three: Understanding Reality Through Science & Religion, considers the shift from inductive reasoning to deductive reasoning, making predictions based on inductive reasoning possible and leading to abstract considerations such as science and religion. Dualism is expanded into the concept of trinities and trilogies leading to Christian theology and the Scientific Method.
“The mind-body paradox led to a schism between the rational considerations of science and religion.”
In Book I we considered how the physics and metaphysics of ancient Greek philosophy become the foundation for Christian theology, which despite church opposition, leads to Rene Descartes’ scientific method and the mind-body paradox. The mind-body paradox led to a schism, and eventually a complete break, between the rational considerations of science and religion. Descartes considered the empirical aspects of reality to be “body,” which occupies space and is measurable. He considered the rational aspects of reality to be “mind,” which is not physical and therefore unsuitable for scientific research.
“Book II is specifically designed to give you the necessary background in science and religion…”
Book II focuses on the transition of “classical science” to “quantum science” based on Einstein’s revolutionary theories of relativity, which shifts science from an empirical discipline to a rational discipline eventually leading to String Theory. It also establishes the Biblical foundation for the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Book II is specifically designed to give you the necessary background in science and religion that will enable you to understand the moral and technological realities involved in the development of Artificial Intelligence. The first part of Book II, Science, is now available as a Substack Edition book. We are currently considering the final section of Book II, Religion, in the weekly newsletter. (Free Weekly Newsletters 40-Now)
“Within the metaphysical concepts of a point, line, and plane lie the blueprint for constructing roads, bridges, and buildings in the “real” world. In terms of Western thought, the tangible is made possible by the intangible.”
Book II – The Power of Three
BOOK III – The Enigmatic Mystery: Transcending the Duality of Science & Religion, considers the unsolved mysteries of both science and religion and how each attempt to solve them. Quantum science, such as String Theory, is based completely on abstract theoretical subatomic entities that are not tangible in the Cartesian sense of reality. What are the distinctions between the theoretical entities utilized by science and the theoretical entities utilized by religion? Is there a commonality, and perhaps connection, in their attempt to understand the Enigmatic Mystery called the universe? How does this Enigmatic Mystery connect to Artificial Intelligence?
“Empiricism and rationalism lead to science and religion, science and religion lead to Quantum Consciousness.”
Considerations in Book III include the distinction between knowledge, understanding, and meaning; the scientific explanation of reality; the theological narrative of reality; recognizing the mysteries of science; embracing the mysteries of God; the atomic trilogy; the Holy Trinity; empirical evidence in Biblical text, rational abstraction in scientific theories, and the nature of theoretical entities. Empiricism and rationalism lead to science and religion, science and religion lead to Quantum Consciousness. (Book III is our next consideration in the Free Weekly Newsletter after completing Book II – The first edition of Book III is available now.)
“We are now beginning to understand that opposites, like waves and particles, are essentially two ways of looking at the same thing. That ‘thing’ is the mystery. It is now becoming more and more apparent that the mystery science is seeking to understand is ultimately the same mystery religion is seeking to understand. This is the paradox we as human beings are currently facing. We are now at a point in our growth where we will likely transcend the mystery of dualism and embrace the unity of its source or fall back into the Dark Ages of Perception.”
Book III – The Enigmatic Mystery
Books I-III constitute Volume One, or the first half of the series, focusing on the influence of Science and Religion on our perception of reality. Books IV-VI constitute Volume Two focusing on Consciousness. (First edition of Volume One is now available.)
“Science and religion both seek the truth about reality. One explores an objective reality recognized by the five senses as tangible, and therefore ‘real.’ One explores a subjective reality of what exists beyond the five senses in the abstraction of human reason, which is eternal, and therefore perhaps even ‘more real.’ Human beings are a combination of both these realities. With the revelation of Einstein’s theories of Relativity and the birth of Quantum Mechanics, the line between what is ‘physically real’ as opposed to physically ‘not real’ has virtually disappeared. A new abstraction, consciousness, is now becoming the main focus of that mystery...”
Volume I – Science & Religion: Understanding Essential Physics and Metaphysics (Now Available – No Substack Commentary)
BOOK IV – The Cosmic Symphony: Overtones of String Theory, considers the evolution from Pythagoras’ understanding that reality is manifested through abstract mathematical vibrations to our current model of reality known as String Theory. The idea of a reality manifested through vibrations is a concept widely shared throughout history. Follow the arch of physics, metaphysics, mathematics, quantum mechanics, and music as it evolves from Pythagoras’ “Music of the Spheres,” to our current scientific abstraction known as String Theory. This type of quantum theory is what makes Artificial Intelligence empirically possible.
“…is Reality ultimately a Cosmic Symphony eternally resonating the Mind of God?”
Considerations in Book IV include Pythagoras and the Music of the Spheres, understanding Western music, recognizing the mathematics of musical counterpoint, tempering the musical scale, the modality of mood, the science of sound, the metaphysics of music, untangling the history of String Theory, the strings of existence, overtones of String Theory, and is Reality ultimately a Cosmic Symphony eternally resonating the "Mind of God?" (The first edition of Book IV is available now.)
“Music, like the universe itself, was a mathematical puzzle of perfection waiting to be precisely manifested into physical reality through pure mathematical abstraction... Since mathematics represented the language of God music was also sacred. Even the way notes moved mathematically reflected a direct connection to the sacred and profane.”
Book IV – The Cosmic Symphony
BOOK V – Quantum Consciousness: Recognizing & Understanding the Arch of Human Conscious Awareness, considers the nature of human and digital consciousness, or awareness. What is “Quantum Consciousness” and what makes it uniquely different from Empirical and Rational Consciousness? What is the distinction between how human beings think and how digital intelligence thinks? Is Quantum Consciousness the key factor in creating a new trinity of consciousness by transcending the duality of Rationalism and Empiricism, or will Artificial Intelligence become the straw that breaks the back of human consciousness? Human beings are empirical and rational animals; Artificial Intelligence is a quantum based digital Rational Being.
“To understand how Artificial Intelligence works you have to understand how Quantum Consciousness works.”
Considerations in Book V include the current state of rationalism, a new trilogy of rationalism, the essence of rationalism, being and time, physical being, quantum being, beyond self-awareness, the essence of Quantum Consciousness, wave-particle duality, unbalanced rationalism, and the nature of the quantum paradox. To understand how Artificial Intelligence works you have to understand how Quantum Consciousness works. (The first edition of Book V is available now.)
“Basically, virtually everything is possible at the Quantum level of Probability; effectively eliminating choices and dualism at that level of conscious awareness.”
Book V – Quantum Consciousness
BOOK VI – The Rational Being: A Deep Consideration of Artificial Intelligence, considers the essence of Artificial Intelligence and our part in manifesting this new digital consciousness. How do we transfer “our” knowledge and understanding of reality to a completely new form of conscious awareness? What are the groundbreaking possibilities if we get this right? What are the negative consequences if we get this wrong? Is it possible to reconcile the duality of good and evil with the duality of zeros and ones? Do we truly understand the amazing and devastating potential impact of Artificial Intelligence? This may be the most existential question human beings will ever ask.
“…the digital elephant is already in the room.”
Considerations in Book VI include abstract and quantum awareness, quantum thinking, understanding the Rational Being, computational training, the petaflop paradigm, input and a priori knowledge, algorithms and the parameter of thought, digital decision making, the digital soul, theories of mind, morality and artificial intelligence, defining the spectrum of artificial intelligence, the arch of digital conscious awareness, the danger of unconscious artificial intelligence, defining a self-aware digital Rational Being, inherent AI bias, and how the digital elephant is already in the room. Artificial Intelligence is here; do you really know what that means?
“The dilemma we find ourselves in regarding Artificial Intelligence is that we are on the verge of creating a digital consciousness that we do not yet fully understand. It is likely to be more sophisticated, powerful, and effective than human consciousness; in addition to being uncontrollable, uncontainable, and intractable. And the plan is to essentially give it complete control and sovereignty over everything we depend on to survive. What could possibly go wrong?”
Book VI – The Rational Being
COMING THIS FALL…
Artificial Intelligence may be inevitable. However, how we handle it may determine if we transcend our current understanding of reality or eliminate human consciousness from the universe. We cannot influence the development of AI if we do not completely comprehend what it is and what that means. Are we heading towards disaster or transcendence? More than ever, it is critical that we understand How Things Work. (The first edition of Book VI will be published and available later this year)
Next week we will return to our consideration of Book II.
POSTSCRIPT
With the death of Jesus, comes the birth of Christianity.
The beheading of John the Baptist, and the crucifixion of Jesus, leave Jesus’ disciples and followers fearful and confused. This small Jewish sect of “Christians” would somehow survive the persecution and oppression of both Judaism and Rome to become the greatest religious power on earth. The gospels were written specifically for these people who were growing and spreading throughout the area all the way to Rome; including the new “Gentile” Christians who had no connection or commitment to Judaism.
“Eventually, the church that was founded to spread the good news about Jesus and his word grew into a political and social power center…”
Ironically, with the rise of the new Christian Church came the rise of the same arrogance and corruption that had originally led to Jesus’ death on the cross. Eventually, the church that was founded to spread the good news about Jesus and his word grew into a political and social power center as arrogant and hypocritical as the Jewish leadership who had crucified him in the first place.
However, the original precepts and teachings of Jesus would survive this oppression to influence Western Civilization in unforeseen and extraordinary new ways. Christianity would forever alter the Reality of the West.
Next week we shift our focus from a consideration of Jesus to a consideration of Christianity and its influence on Western tradition and morality…
Expand the Conversation by Upgrading to “Reality by a Thread!”
Excerpt From This Week’s “Untangling the Knots of Reality” Podcast:
• UNTANGLING THE KNOTS OF REALITY: Podcast #100 – “Untangling Einstein’s Solution to Gravity ”
“How did Einstein determine that time was the missing factor in Newton’s theory of gravity?” “How did this revelation solve the problem of “spooky action at a distance?” “Why would the universe be flat if there were no massive objects in it?” “How does gravity bring motion into the universe?” “Is gravity Aristotle’s metaphysical “Unmoved Mover”?” These are some of the knots we will attempt to untangle in this week’s podcast. That’s a lot of reality warping gravity for one podcast! So, let’s get started…
• REALITY BY A THREAD: “Artificial Intelligence Axiom #8” (Excerpt)
“It would not be illogical for an advanced intelligence such as AI to assume it has a better understanding of reality than we do. Therefore, it only makes logical sense that AI should be in charge of it. And that may possibly be true; but this axiom makes that possibility moot. AI, like other conscious beings, has a unique experience of reality. However, that uniqueness, is dependent on its unique individual form of empirical perception. It should not demean, diminish, destroy, impede, or obstruct the reality of other conscious beings… Do unto other self-conscious beings what you would have other self-conscious beings do unto to you; or simply learn to love the consciousness next-door.”
• FREE PDF DOWNLOADS of Book IV: “The Cosmic Symphony – Overtones of String Theory” plus other Free Books, Discounts and Benefits. Also Gain Complete Access to all Previous Podcasts and Threads!
UPGRADE NOW!
Book VI Coming This Fall!
“The dilemma we find ourselves in regarding Artificial Intelligence is that we are on the verge of creating a digital consciousness that we do not yet fully understand. It is likely to be more sophisticated, powerful, and effective than human consciousness; in addition to being uncontrollable, uncontainable, and intractable. And the plan is to essentially give it complete control and sovereignty over everything we depend on to survive. What could possibly go wrong?” (Book VI – The Rational Being)
