A bipartisan group of legislators recently sponsored a piece of legislation with ambiguous and confusing language. The DoublePlusGood Act may or may not be used to deny legal rights to the bad people, and might-possibly-but-no-one-can-really-tell give major corporations more money and power.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, a senior senator stated "I really have no fucking idea what this bill is about but it's clear that The DoublePlusGood Act will be a good thing for this country, possibly even plusgood." When asked for clarification over what the fuck this act is about, one of the cosponsers provided key insight and understanding. "The Doubleplus Good Act will do one or more of several things; it will create jobs, ensure national security, protect our freedoms, and/or make America more American." This may sound like more trite political bullshit but Senator Rich Whitey offered a heartfelt a pinkie promise that The DPGA will be doubleplusgood for America.
When asked why they chose the name DoublePlusGood Act, Sen. Whitey stated that "The Patriot Act, The Freedom Act, and the America Act were already taken and we were running low on thinly veiled propaganda. We figured fuck it, the American people are docile enough to accept a stronger plutocracy. Anyway I've got to go, my wife wants me to fire our servants and hire new ones who will work for less." Sen. Whitey then noticed the interviewer's watch and realized his own watch was more expensive. He ended the interview saying "Fuck off, pleb".
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Our Brave New 1984
Note: This is a slightly modified version of an essay I submitted for a class assignment. I am working on expanding the ideas within but this may take some time seeing as the material could easily fill an entire book.
Few dystopian novels have a greater hold on our collective conscious than Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” or George Orwell’s “1984.” These two are almost polar opposites, Huxley’s world is controlled by pleasure while Orwell’s is controlled by pain, yet the basic goals of either ruling class are the same: maintaining their own power. By comparing and contrasting different forms of control from these two dystopias, I hope to shed some light on how they converge in our world today.
I will analyze three broad categories; forceful control, resource control, and information control. Forceful control refers to the use of brute force; police, prisons, military, etc. Resource control refers to the availability of basic necessities and commercial goods. Information control refers to propaganda, access to information, and surveillance systems. The power systems in both dystopias and our world today can be thought of in these terms.
Information control
Arguably information control is the first line of defense of any power structure. If propaganda is universally believed, if people are unaware of the functioning of their society, or if they lack the information or language to understand or describe the nature of their oppression, then they are unable or entirely unwilling to organize effectively. In Orwell’s 1984, three major themes of information control are relentless propaganda, revisionist history, and surveillance. The telescreens of 1984 are present in every Party member’s home and constantly broadcasting propaganda. There is no subtlety here; every message is about the Party’s accomplishments, the enemy’s ever present evil, and how much better off everyone is thanks to the government. Generally the US government does not engage in such blatant propaganda but government institutions certainly reinforce various useful illusions, such as The American Dream. Certain historical facts are simply omitted from the history taught in schools and thus are largely unknown. These support the illusion of a just yet imperfect government.
A very strong parallel to 1984 revolves around surveillance. In this dystopia, all Party members are being watched at all times and anyone who shows any sign of heretical thought is arrested by the Thought Police. In our world, the United States government has created surveillance programs that attempt, and largely succeed, to capture and record every single piece of electronic communication in the world. There are far more terrifying programs that have come to light but hedonistic apathy and simple ignorance limit the scope of awareness. We have yet to see what the US government will do with such terrifying power.
The most pervasive propaganda campaigns in our world are run by big business. In Brave New World, humans are conditioned from birth to hold certain values and have a specific set of desires. Selfish hedonistic consumerism is imprinted on children via behavioral conditioning and hypnotic suggestion, crafting a population that loves mindless entertainment and always desires the newest gadgets. The overabundance of material goods means there is always a hot new thing to satisfy animalistic desires, so there is never a lull in the entertainment paradigm wherein people might question the status quo or engage in self reflection. This selfish hedonistic consumerism is markedly similar to the United States culture of today.
The extreme behavioral conditioning of Brave New World is largely absent in our society but we are regularly subjected to subliminal messages which warp our values and desires. The science of marketing is aimed at making people desire certain things and the marketing sectors of separate industries have a shared interest in reinforcing consumerism. Television ads target children, the most impressionable demographic, and brand mascots become idols. At such a young age, this sort of conditioning is very effective and carries over into our adult lives, even for those of us who are aware of it. These imposed superficial values and desires serve to counteract the effects of the greatest information revolution in all of human history: the internet.
The wealth of knowledge available at our fingertips, indeed in our pockets, has the potential to tear down all ideological barriers. The powers that be are right to see it as a threat, this is why there are so many attempts to censor the web. However, in Huxley’s dystopia censorship is simply not needed because people have no desire to learn beyond the needs of their hedonistic desires. We are undoubtedly seeing that trend today, enormous breaches of the social contract by major corporations and government institutions are largely ignored by the general public. Thus there will be no revolution while the circus continues.
Resource control
Despite being the second line of defense, resource control can mitigate the shortcomings of information control schemas. This can take the form of abundance or scarcity, in our world we see both acting at once on different social classes. In 1984, everyone except Inner Party members are poor and even they have minimalistic lives by our standards. Scarcity for the proles and Outer Party keeps them physically drained and struggling, both of which limit capacity for critical thought and sap energy that could otherwise go towards higher pursuits. However, if resources are too scarce then there will be ‘bread riots’ as the prevailing social order is incapable of meeting basic human needs. The ideal balance between these two is maintaining resource availability barely above subsistence levels, which is exactly what the Party has achieved in 1984.
We see this at play for the lower classes of US society. Those who live near the poverty level work long hours and earn only enough to keep a semblance of a home and provide for their most basic needs. With no time or energy to learn or examine the nature of their oppression, and lacking resources above a subsistence level, they are generally unable to organize to demand better treatment. We do see protests demanding higher wages when living conditions fall below a certain level, but the concessions made by the ruling classes are almost always the bare minimum necessary to pacify the public.
The opposite resource control schema is necessary to pacify a middle class. With a higher quality of education and far more free time, they are more prone to demand political or social change. However, since they have the time, energy, and resources, they can be distracted. This is where we see the material abundance scheme from Brave New World; the middle classes of our society can easily spend time and money on the newest gadgets, games, and TV shows. However there must always be novelty or else they will become bored. This demands consumerism perpetuated through behavioral conditioning. In Brave New World there are slogans such as “more stitches; fewer riches” while in our world we have business models based on planned obsolescence. A distracted and thoroughly entertained middle class is far less likely to agitate for change.
Forceful control
The last resort of oppressors, when information and resource control are not enough to maintain the status quo we see tear gas and batons. In our world we see different applications of violence to various social classes while the worlds of 1984 and Brave New World have opposing methods of state violence. In 1984, violence is planned as soon as any individual breaks from the Party line. The only reason they are not imprisoned immediately is to allow for more monitoring of the individual to determine psychological weaknesses. The threat is absolute, anyone who shows any hint of dissent will be disappeared and likely never seen again. Large scale crowd control is not needed as the Thought Police are always looking for political dissidents and neutralize them as soon as possible. The opposite is true in Brave New World, individuals are not monitored because they can be trusted to mindlessly pursue hedonism, while the few that do dissent are simply ignored by the rest of the population. As of now, our society does not appear to emulate either of these models.
Despite strong correlations with race and poverty, state violence directed against civilians is largely arbitrary in the US, with one major exception. We thankfully lack a government agency akin to the Thought Police so political organizations are relatively free to form. Without that safeguard, it is necessary for the power elite to violently resist any protest or movement which threatens the status quo; this usually takes the form of pseudo-soldiers posing as peace officers. We rarely hear about protests that are violently suppressed and they are relatively rare, due in large part to the brutality of the state’s response. This works to serve information control as it restricts knowledge that a counter-movement exists in the first place.
Within these three spheres of control, our world is like a hybrid of the information and resource control schemas of 1984 and Brave New World. Forceful control most certainly exists as well but it does not have the extreme attributes of either of these dystopias. If we are looking to these novels as warnings against the evils of totalitarian society, we ought to focus primarily on the information control systems from each. Some aspects of our society, particularly between hedonistic apathy and universal surveillance, are eerily close to the worlds of 1984 and Brave New World. Many of these dystopian aspects seem to be growing at a terrifying rate while others are being increasingly undermined, primarily due to the developing information age and industrial automation. We should remain vigilant against increasing similarities between our world and these dystopias lest they become predictions of our future.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
As close to nirvana as I can imagine being
I was feeling pretty lonely and despondent for a while. A bad breakup from a long time ago was still on my mind, the everyday stresses of life were building, and my awareness of social issues was becoming too painful. I wasn't at a low point per se, I was just feeling down for a while. This last time I ate mushrooms with the intent of having a deep introspective journey, and I certainly succeeded, though not at all in the way I expected. They were way stronger than I thought but it was still a rewarding experience. Now I'm much more satisfied with my life as is, nothing has changed except my attitude but I'm much more at ease on my own and the other things that were bothering me aren't as mentally oppressive as they used to be.
It's not really possible to describe in words what the experience was like but I'll give it a shot. I hope someone finds it interesting and if not writing this will help me sort out what happened.
My plan was to go on a hike, it was the first warm day after a recent snowfall and I wanted to see the wilderness with snow on the ground. I made myself a peanut butter and mushroom sandwich, ate it at the trail head, and started hiking. After an hour or so I started noticing the first effects, lights and colors were brighter and my depth perception felt more real. The landscape stood out way more than it usually did, kind of like the difference between a 2D picture and then seeing the real thing, except I started out with the real thing which then just got better.
Then things started to get bad. I started to think this was a terrible decision because I'm still in school and don't want to fuck up. I'd already dropped out once and psychedelics could really mess me up for a while. I was tearing into myself, loathing every recent decision I'd made and shouldering the blame for every single one of my troubles. I was angry, sad, frustrated, every possible negative emotion at once, and to top it off the hike wasn't as nice as I was expecting. The snow was still thick and I only had hiking shoes so I was slipping and my feet were soaked. As the visual distortion started to kick in I realized I was lost, I had completely lost track of the trail I was supposed to be taking. I was still on a trail, so I wasn't dangerously lost, but I occasionally passed other people and I was clearly in distress. I could barely read my handwriting on my directions and couldn't think clearly about where I was. This was in an area I'd hiked before but I began to panic. I'd planned ahead though and my friends knew what I was doing and where I was, so I called them to get help. They gave me directions and picked me up on a nearby road. It turned out I'd hiked uphill about 8 miles in 3 hours and came out about a 30 minute drive from where I'd planned to.
While hiking I'd been hating myself more than I ever thought possible. It wasn't depression, I cared too damn much about it to be ambivalent. My hatred came from acute awareness of all of my weaknesses. Every decision I'd ever made when I should have known better, every moment of cruelty or lack of compassion, every inadequacy stood out in my mind like brain freeze that refuses to go away. I flogged myself for everything I was ashamed of, bleeding on the inside and nearly weeping on the outside, it was the worst kind of misery. A jail cell in hell where I'd installed the bars myself.
When I got home I took my 'abort pill,' some medicine that would end the trip pretty quickly. Just as I began to lie down in my room though, everything started to change. The visuals were coming on strong, every decoration in my room started to come alive. The painting of a tree started to grow, I could see the leaves waving in the wind and the bark pulsing with flowing sap. My hands were glowing, twinkling in the faint light, and I was totally at peace. In my room I was in a safe place so I could enjoy the rest of the experience. It became the exact opposite of what I'd been feeling hours earlier.
Everything in my room took on a powerful meaning; my books, my guitars, my lava lamp, everything was exactly were it ought to be and it occurred to me that everything I needed for a happy life was right there with me. I closed my eyes and could see brilliantly colored fractal patterns, flowing in and out of each other, and started to connect them to what I was thinking.
I became one with the universe, totally and completely. We have always been one with the universe but we can hardly ever feel it. I felt it so deep in my being that I wept with the realization that I wasn't alone because it was impossible to be alone. I was part of everything around me, part of my friends, my house, my family, everyone and everything was me just as much as I was them. It was total bliss, as close to nirvana as I can imagine being.
Then time began to unfold. I had the feeling that this moment was going to last forever, because it was forever. Past and future no longer existed, each was a foggy memory or a foggy prediction of what happened and what might happen. The unity of the universe's various opposites became a chain of pairs, formed into a circle, where it is only possible for us to experience a finite few at any given time. Nothingness and existence, life and death, love and loss, separation and oneness; as I felt each I was only able to feel those directly connected to the present sensation. I started laughing and I couldn't stop, everything made so much sense. All the confusion and lack of understanding was simply a function of some other understanding. Just like the uncertainty principle, we can only know a few things at a time, and all my fears about the unknown just floated away. Time didn't exist anymore, I was going to be in this state of flowing understanding forever. Imagine the crest of a single wave, flowing through the ocean. My understanding, my experiences, my existence, was the crest of that wave. In everyday life that's all we know, and that's all I could know at the time, but I felt the existence of everything else. Even if I couldn't experience it then, it was there and I was inseparable from it. I fell in love with everything, it was such a powerful feeling that I was laughing and crying with more emotion than I'd ever felt before.
Then my perspective started to focus in on myself. As I saw all of my troubles and worries in the context of infinite love, beauty, and existence, I started laughing again. None of them mattered, they weren't real and they wouldn't last. My life, my actions, and my subjective existence were all totally insignificant and it was the most empowering realization I've ever had. All the pressure to succeed, all the fear of failure, all the demands placed on me became so trivial they might as well have never existed. I was free, to do, think, and love however I wanted. If my life was nothing and everything at the same time, then every desire and every dream of mine was something inherent and inseparable from the universe. Every wrong, every evil, every cruel or spiteful action or thought I'd ever had or committed was against myself. And every love, every caring or compassionate act, was me loving and caring for myself. Then I realized that most of the people around me had never felt this way, and their judgement, dislike, or jealousy were just a part of me, so I had no reason to care what they thought. All the fucks I once gave flew out the window, and I started to sing.
"I don't give a fuck, I don't give a fuck, I don't give a fuck fuck fuck fuck, FUCK!"
It was the best song ever.
After singing for what felt like hours but was only a minute, I started to calm down. I was rolling around in my bed, which felt more comfortable than a womb could ever be, and started to go into denial about shrinking down into my body. I was one with the universe, my consciousness had transcended all of time and space to contain the entirety of existence, but now it was time to be human again. I was a little sad about it but knew it was inevitable, and knew that all the things I'd learned and realized were still true. So I took a shower and went to play some video games.
I didn't reflect on it too much for the rest of that day, it was too fresh and too raw. The next few days though I was able to feel the residuals of all the peace and love I'd been a part of. I didn't realize it at first but I was utterly content with the same life that was just not enough before my trip. After writing this out, I understand why a little bit more.
This trip was waaaayyyy more intense than I had expected or wanted, the 'abort pill' I took certainly cut it short but that's not saying much. All the fear and self hatred from the first half made me want to die, I wanted to die more than I'd ever wanted anything. Then I had exactly the opposite experience, I loved everything and didn't care whether I was alive or not because that love transcends everything. Life is an adventure, an 80 year vacation from my normal state of being, and I'm going to explore it to the fullest.
Mushrooms are a powerful drug that should not be toyed with. They can be incredibly rewarding and unbelievably painful. You may come face to face with all of your inner demons and may not be able to escape their fury. You may feel an omnipresent love, a compassionate force so overwhelming that all human evils appear to be nothing more than little annoyances. You may walk through hell, float through heaven, and then come back to earth knowing the difference between the two. After a journey like that, it's impossible to keep the same perspective on life.
It's not really possible to describe in words what the experience was like but I'll give it a shot. I hope someone finds it interesting and if not writing this will help me sort out what happened.
My plan was to go on a hike, it was the first warm day after a recent snowfall and I wanted to see the wilderness with snow on the ground. I made myself a peanut butter and mushroom sandwich, ate it at the trail head, and started hiking. After an hour or so I started noticing the first effects, lights and colors were brighter and my depth perception felt more real. The landscape stood out way more than it usually did, kind of like the difference between a 2D picture and then seeing the real thing, except I started out with the real thing which then just got better.
Then things started to get bad. I started to think this was a terrible decision because I'm still in school and don't want to fuck up. I'd already dropped out once and psychedelics could really mess me up for a while. I was tearing into myself, loathing every recent decision I'd made and shouldering the blame for every single one of my troubles. I was angry, sad, frustrated, every possible negative emotion at once, and to top it off the hike wasn't as nice as I was expecting. The snow was still thick and I only had hiking shoes so I was slipping and my feet were soaked. As the visual distortion started to kick in I realized I was lost, I had completely lost track of the trail I was supposed to be taking. I was still on a trail, so I wasn't dangerously lost, but I occasionally passed other people and I was clearly in distress. I could barely read my handwriting on my directions and couldn't think clearly about where I was. This was in an area I'd hiked before but I began to panic. I'd planned ahead though and my friends knew what I was doing and where I was, so I called them to get help. They gave me directions and picked me up on a nearby road. It turned out I'd hiked uphill about 8 miles in 3 hours and came out about a 30 minute drive from where I'd planned to.
While hiking I'd been hating myself more than I ever thought possible. It wasn't depression, I cared too damn much about it to be ambivalent. My hatred came from acute awareness of all of my weaknesses. Every decision I'd ever made when I should have known better, every moment of cruelty or lack of compassion, every inadequacy stood out in my mind like brain freeze that refuses to go away. I flogged myself for everything I was ashamed of, bleeding on the inside and nearly weeping on the outside, it was the worst kind of misery. A jail cell in hell where I'd installed the bars myself.
When I got home I took my 'abort pill,' some medicine that would end the trip pretty quickly. Just as I began to lie down in my room though, everything started to change. The visuals were coming on strong, every decoration in my room started to come alive. The painting of a tree started to grow, I could see the leaves waving in the wind and the bark pulsing with flowing sap. My hands were glowing, twinkling in the faint light, and I was totally at peace. In my room I was in a safe place so I could enjoy the rest of the experience. It became the exact opposite of what I'd been feeling hours earlier.
Everything in my room took on a powerful meaning; my books, my guitars, my lava lamp, everything was exactly were it ought to be and it occurred to me that everything I needed for a happy life was right there with me. I closed my eyes and could see brilliantly colored fractal patterns, flowing in and out of each other, and started to connect them to what I was thinking.
I became one with the universe, totally and completely. We have always been one with the universe but we can hardly ever feel it. I felt it so deep in my being that I wept with the realization that I wasn't alone because it was impossible to be alone. I was part of everything around me, part of my friends, my house, my family, everyone and everything was me just as much as I was them. It was total bliss, as close to nirvana as I can imagine being.
Then time began to unfold. I had the feeling that this moment was going to last forever, because it was forever. Past and future no longer existed, each was a foggy memory or a foggy prediction of what happened and what might happen. The unity of the universe's various opposites became a chain of pairs, formed into a circle, where it is only possible for us to experience a finite few at any given time. Nothingness and existence, life and death, love and loss, separation and oneness; as I felt each I was only able to feel those directly connected to the present sensation. I started laughing and I couldn't stop, everything made so much sense. All the confusion and lack of understanding was simply a function of some other understanding. Just like the uncertainty principle, we can only know a few things at a time, and all my fears about the unknown just floated away. Time didn't exist anymore, I was going to be in this state of flowing understanding forever. Imagine the crest of a single wave, flowing through the ocean. My understanding, my experiences, my existence, was the crest of that wave. In everyday life that's all we know, and that's all I could know at the time, but I felt the existence of everything else. Even if I couldn't experience it then, it was there and I was inseparable from it. I fell in love with everything, it was such a powerful feeling that I was laughing and crying with more emotion than I'd ever felt before.
Then my perspective started to focus in on myself. As I saw all of my troubles and worries in the context of infinite love, beauty, and existence, I started laughing again. None of them mattered, they weren't real and they wouldn't last. My life, my actions, and my subjective existence were all totally insignificant and it was the most empowering realization I've ever had. All the pressure to succeed, all the fear of failure, all the demands placed on me became so trivial they might as well have never existed. I was free, to do, think, and love however I wanted. If my life was nothing and everything at the same time, then every desire and every dream of mine was something inherent and inseparable from the universe. Every wrong, every evil, every cruel or spiteful action or thought I'd ever had or committed was against myself. And every love, every caring or compassionate act, was me loving and caring for myself. Then I realized that most of the people around me had never felt this way, and their judgement, dislike, or jealousy were just a part of me, so I had no reason to care what they thought. All the fucks I once gave flew out the window, and I started to sing.
"I don't give a fuck, I don't give a fuck, I don't give a fuck fuck fuck fuck, FUCK!"
It was the best song ever.
After singing for what felt like hours but was only a minute, I started to calm down. I was rolling around in my bed, which felt more comfortable than a womb could ever be, and started to go into denial about shrinking down into my body. I was one with the universe, my consciousness had transcended all of time and space to contain the entirety of existence, but now it was time to be human again. I was a little sad about it but knew it was inevitable, and knew that all the things I'd learned and realized were still true. So I took a shower and went to play some video games.
I didn't reflect on it too much for the rest of that day, it was too fresh and too raw. The next few days though I was able to feel the residuals of all the peace and love I'd been a part of. I didn't realize it at first but I was utterly content with the same life that was just not enough before my trip. After writing this out, I understand why a little bit more.
This trip was waaaayyyy more intense than I had expected or wanted, the 'abort pill' I took certainly cut it short but that's not saying much. All the fear and self hatred from the first half made me want to die, I wanted to die more than I'd ever wanted anything. Then I had exactly the opposite experience, I loved everything and didn't care whether I was alive or not because that love transcends everything. Life is an adventure, an 80 year vacation from my normal state of being, and I'm going to explore it to the fullest.
Mushrooms are a powerful drug that should not be toyed with. They can be incredibly rewarding and unbelievably painful. You may come face to face with all of your inner demons and may not be able to escape their fury. You may feel an omnipresent love, a compassionate force so overwhelming that all human evils appear to be nothing more than little annoyances. You may walk through hell, float through heaven, and then come back to earth knowing the difference between the two. After a journey like that, it's impossible to keep the same perspective on life.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
A brief analysis of Occupy Wall St
The Occupy Wall St
movement is almost universally misunderstood, even amongst those who
would consider themselves occupiers. I cannot truthfully say that I
know 'the truth' about the movement though I consistently see the
same misunderstandings. Occupy Wall St was an expression of popular
anger at the gross injustices of our social, political, and economic
systems. There were no official goals, no explicit demands, and no
consensus on which specific issues should be the focus. However, if
a single message can be gleaned from the entire movement it is this:
there is a class war going on and we are losing.
This class war is
being waged on a variety of fronts, many of which initially appear
completely unrelated. The wars on drugs, terror, and crime share a
common enemy: the poor and disenfranchised of the world. Corporate
personhood, corruption in government, and the two party system are
only some of the ways that democracy is quashed. The consolidation
of media outlets, propaganda relabelled as public relations, and
internet censorship schemes all seek to throttle the development and
exchange of ideas. Concentration of wealth, a currency controlled by
a self interested elite, and a predatory economy all prevent people
from having the time or resources to effectively enforce their basic
human rights. It all comes down to control, control of the masses to
solidify the power of a neo-aristocratic class.
The ultra-wealthy
elites looked at Occupy Wall St and saw a true threat to their power.
People across the country, indeed across the world, coming together
to show just how mad they are. We were talking, sharing our
struggles, realizing that our personal and financial problems are
shared by millions. To borrow from the feminist movement, we began
to realize that the personal is truly political. Yet this in itself
is not threatening, instead it was our show of strength. We saw how
many of us there are, how many of us are mad as hell and don't want
to take it anymore, and we started to realize that we are strong.
The proletariat were starting to see their true power and the ruling
class was terrified.
In response, there
was a massive, coordinated campaign to silence and destroy the
movement. Occupiers were mocked and vilified in the media, we were
supposedly just angry kids who had no cohesive message and offered no
solutions. These claims were false or patently absurd, you do not
need a solution to identify a problem and the message was simple:
there is a class war going on and we are losing. We were
relentlessly hounded by police and federal agents, in Denver the
peaceful encampment was stormed by pseudo-soldiers with tear gas and
paintball guns full of pepper spray. In Boulder we were lucky, the
police resorted to sleep deprivation via hourly visits and the city
council issued edicts that would criminalize standing still in a
public park at night. Yet elsewhere elderly women were being pepper
sprayed and a veteran was almost killed by a tear gas canister to the
head. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security worked in
cooperation with major financial institutions to coordinate a
Nationwide crackdown on Occupy communities everywhere. The full and
terrifying power of the ruling elite was exposed; the greatest
propaganda machine the world has ever known, a surveillance system
that only the Stasi could envy, and a domestic police force
systematically desensitized to brutalizing the same people it is
supposed to protect. Driven home at the barrel of a gun, the message
was clear: Do not challenge the status quo.
It would be a
mistake to say that the system is broken, it is performing the
function for which it was designed. The sad truth is that we cannot use the
ballot box to resolve our social, political, economic, or
environmental problems. The game is rigged, so the winning move
is not to play. I believe that we
are speeding towards an abyss, a humanitarian catastrophe where
billions will suffer and millions will die. Yet all experience hath
shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which
they are accustomed. I fear that we will only awake from this
artificially induced dream when we are faced with a devastating
social crisis. At this point it may be too late, the powers that be
might capitalize on this to cement their control or we might enter a
new dark age while simultaneously facing environmental catastrophes.
No matter the outcome, the longer that we sleep the worse the
nightmare will become.
Still, the greatest
legacy of Occupy Wall St has yet to make itself known. We stirred
the pot, scum may still float at the top but now we are more aware of
them. Information has started to spread, ideas flow more vigorously
than ever, and a new international network of activists has formed.
We know that the system is failing, we know that it must fall, and we
are awaiting the next opportunity to bring it down. Now with more
experience, more allies, and greater resolve, whenever the next
political movement appears, we will be ready.
Chemical Nonsense
Some of the most profound and life changing experiences I’ve ever had happened on the couch in my living room. How do you word a feeling? One particularly memorable moment involved my guitar; I was sitting down stroking the body with tears streaming down my face muttering the same phrases over and over again. Can you describe a being? I had just finished tuning it but not in any way I’d ever done before; adjusting the peg one degree and listening intently, over and over again until it was just right. How can you describe a feeling? I noticed that sometimes the strings get a little stuck near the top of the neck, I tugged on each one individually, yanking it into place until the tone was just right. Can you word a being? Eventually, after what felt like an hour, I tried to play but couldn’t make a sound that summed up what I was feeling. Describe a being? Word a feeling? I gave up and just admired the wood, falling in love with every grain, every crack, every shade of color; the feeling was overpowering and I wept. I could get lost in it forever.
Everyone has defining experiences in their lives, some come from overcoming challenges while others from great sorrow. Why, wait, it doesn’t matter. This one changed me forever in ways I may never come to fully understand. Whatever, I’m happy. I remember walking in circles touching everything I passed and feeling equally touched by them. Ribbons flowing, people, ideas crossing in space and time. I would force illegible handwriting into a notebook believing I was approaching some profound truth. So close, so very close. At one point I felt capable of ending existence with a single committed thought. Self reference. To this day I don’t believe it is possible to describe in words the swirling thoughts and emotions of those hours. So this is what acid is like.
I have been very fortunate in my life, loving parents who have never struggled for money yet did their best to teach me its value. Trading places, paper for food. They raised me to question what I’m told and be open to new ideas. NO. My father’s job had us moving every few years, I’ve lived about a third of my life thus far in various underdeveloped and developing countries. False separation, boxes for boxes. This has given me a wider perspective than most people my age simply by having been immersed in various cultures. My sandbox is bigger than your sandbox. I do my best not to take it for granted but there are also many disadvantages to moving every few years. Humans, souls, where do they go, body and mind. For some time I struggled with why I should have all these things when so many die for want of water or food. Thus is life.
When I first moved away from home, beyond the sheltered trappings of dorm living and thousands of miles away from my family, I experienced the harsh realities of the world. Why why why why why why why why. I learned how many of the things I believed while growing up just weren’t true. Doublethinkers, newspeakers, soma addicts, pneumatic life; I am faulty machinery. Having your world view shatter is a terrifying and exhilarating experience yet unlearning what you know is the only way to replace a false belief. Memories, symbols for reality, metaphors upon metaphors. One of the most powerful lessons I learned were all the lies I had swallowed about drugs. I love everything.
In elementary school I had to go through the Drug Abuse Resistance Program. D.A.R.E. to believe what you’re told. Officer Friendly came to our classroom to talk about the dangers of drug use; we learned that drugs are addicting, they can hijack your life, and that you can be sent to jail for having them. My god, I’m criminally couch ridden. I’d never heard anything about drugs until that day but when I came home and asked if cocaine could kill a person who tried it once my mother became furious. Drugs are bad, mmkay. She told me that it was a gross exaggeration and that they left out one of the most important reasons people do drugs. They’re fun dammit. In school I was told what to believe but thankfully my parents wanted me to ask why. The good book says so.
Today I know much more; I know that alcohol is by far the most dangerous of all drugs yet also the most acceptable. Hypocrites everywhere, is that what it means to be human? For a year I smoked cannabis several times a day; it is almost harmless and now I appreciate art like never before yet it’s a schedule one substance. Breath smoke for fun, fucking brilliant. I danced like I’ve never danced before while on MDMA which has let me feel more comfortable moving to music. The rush, it’s coming!!! I’ve been engulfed in the emotions of others while on mushrooms and my empathy is stronger for it. The room has an energy, it flows through us all. Aside from the occasional drink the only drugs I use now are nicotine and caffeine yet I have no regrets whatsoever about the others. So where is my commercial?
Yet all of these drugs pale in comparison to the effects of LSD. Lets go on a journey, a trip, hahahaha. A person could read the bible a thousand times and come no closer to god, a few milligrams of this drug and suddenly they feel at one with creation. Oh, there you are. Most drugs have undeserved negative stigmas but acid definitely has the worst. Oh nothing, just popping bubbles. They say it drives people crazy or makes them jump off buildings, these stereotypes just aren’t true. If he thought he could fly why didn’t he start from the ground? It has helped me explore the deepest workings of my mind and know myself like never before. I feel, I know, I am.
One night I spoke to god. Yeah, that’s not really you. I was well aware that I was tripping, the visuals I had were about as powerful as what you see after glancing directly at the sun. The stars died so I could be here today. He took the form of George Carlin leaning over a wall smoking a cigarette. Well aren’t you just as cool as a cucumber. He never said anything, just gave me glances when I said something stupid or listened passively while I talked. You’ll never give us proof of your existence. I would speak and think out loud, trying to work out the tumultuous cascade of thoughts. Whatever man. It was powerful at the time, I look back on it now and it doesn’t mean much. You like burning ants. These experiences, while undoubtedly hallucinations, are still ripe with meaning. Metaphors, metaphors, metaphors.
The best way I can describe being on acid is a rather loose metaphor. Vessel of ideas, symbol manipulations. If your brain is a bucket and your thoughts are tetris blocks lying inside of it, LSD shakes the bucket. Listen and you might learn something. Thoughts bounce around and rearrange, some of the arrangements are completely insane but others make a scary amount of sense. There is nothing here. There is a danger though, if the bucket gets shaken too much things might fall out. Slowwwww downnnnnn. Not to say that you will go crazy but too much could take you places you don’t want to go, like a very unpleasant memory. I want to forget. There is immense value in looking at things from a new angle, that is the most fascinating effect of LSD. Wow.
I have also felt what it is like to be insane without actually crossing that line. Wait, no, hahaha. When thoughts rush at you without control and you have no way to block them out you are at the mercy of your subconscious. Wait, no, hahaha. After these experiences I found a new appreciation for my sober mind, the ability to direct my thoughts as I wish. Wait, no hahaha. Just like anything you might take for granted, you don’t realize its value until you know what life is like without it. Wait, no hahaha. Neitzsche said “When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Wait.
These experiences are far from clear cut; I have undoubtedly taken risks with such mind altering substances even without the potential legal consequences. Life without living is no life at all. Though it is hard to put my finger on exactly what I learned from trying out various drugs, there are a few definite things I can say. Nothing is certain. I am more comfortable in my own skin, I know that death is not something to be feared, and I know that the most powerful force in all of human existence is the bond between people. Vibrations in the mind of god, whose true name is love.
Back on the couch I found myself rooted to my seat and drifting away in a sea of thought. Symbols representing symbols. Some of the things I’d learned are floating in and out of my consciousness, others I could barely grasp for more than an instant. Imagination of myself. I knew that I wanted to write a song but I didn’t (and still don’t) know how, I’d never done it before and knew nothing about songwriting. So what? My guitar was lying across my lap, the taught strings on the neck and tantalizing curves of its body were taunting me with their simple beauty. (...) Suddenly a group of ideas appear in my mind; music is just emotion in vibration, an incomplete feeling expressed in words that are paired with a partial sound. Pretentious prick, what do you know of music?
After staring at the back of my guitar for long enough, I started to write in my notebook. Let if flow. The words poured onto paper; flowing strong in no particular direction and I felt better for it. Puddles of ink can move mountains. When I read them the next day some made sense and some didn’t but I vividly remember the emotion they were attached to. Vibrations of feeling. Eventually I rewrote those lyrics and rewrote the tune to them. It’s coming clear, slowly. Those first words were the earliest ones I’d been proud of, the first of any creative work which I felt had any merit. The sound of life. I’ve since written much more, some good and some bad but that’s how these things go. And that’s ok. I know for certain that those hours I spent mumbling to myself changed the direction of my life. It doesn’t matter. I write and play music when I have no other outlet, it clears my head and eases my worries in a way nothing else ever has. My peace and great reprieve. Without the confidence I found sifting through all that chemical nonsense, I would likely be living without the greatest comfort of my life. Oh wait, I forgot, I don’t exist.
Everyone has defining experiences in their lives, some come from overcoming challenges while others from great sorrow. Why, wait, it doesn’t matter. This one changed me forever in ways I may never come to fully understand. Whatever, I’m happy. I remember walking in circles touching everything I passed and feeling equally touched by them. Ribbons flowing, people, ideas crossing in space and time. I would force illegible handwriting into a notebook believing I was approaching some profound truth. So close, so very close. At one point I felt capable of ending existence with a single committed thought. Self reference. To this day I don’t believe it is possible to describe in words the swirling thoughts and emotions of those hours. So this is what acid is like.
I have been very fortunate in my life, loving parents who have never struggled for money yet did their best to teach me its value. Trading places, paper for food. They raised me to question what I’m told and be open to new ideas. NO. My father’s job had us moving every few years, I’ve lived about a third of my life thus far in various underdeveloped and developing countries. False separation, boxes for boxes. This has given me a wider perspective than most people my age simply by having been immersed in various cultures. My sandbox is bigger than your sandbox. I do my best not to take it for granted but there are also many disadvantages to moving every few years. Humans, souls, where do they go, body and mind. For some time I struggled with why I should have all these things when so many die for want of water or food. Thus is life.
When I first moved away from home, beyond the sheltered trappings of dorm living and thousands of miles away from my family, I experienced the harsh realities of the world. Why why why why why why why why. I learned how many of the things I believed while growing up just weren’t true. Doublethinkers, newspeakers, soma addicts, pneumatic life; I am faulty machinery. Having your world view shatter is a terrifying and exhilarating experience yet unlearning what you know is the only way to replace a false belief. Memories, symbols for reality, metaphors upon metaphors. One of the most powerful lessons I learned were all the lies I had swallowed about drugs. I love everything.
In elementary school I had to go through the Drug Abuse Resistance Program. D.A.R.E. to believe what you’re told. Officer Friendly came to our classroom to talk about the dangers of drug use; we learned that drugs are addicting, they can hijack your life, and that you can be sent to jail for having them. My god, I’m criminally couch ridden. I’d never heard anything about drugs until that day but when I came home and asked if cocaine could kill a person who tried it once my mother became furious. Drugs are bad, mmkay. She told me that it was a gross exaggeration and that they left out one of the most important reasons people do drugs. They’re fun dammit. In school I was told what to believe but thankfully my parents wanted me to ask why. The good book says so.
Today I know much more; I know that alcohol is by far the most dangerous of all drugs yet also the most acceptable. Hypocrites everywhere, is that what it means to be human? For a year I smoked cannabis several times a day; it is almost harmless and now I appreciate art like never before yet it’s a schedule one substance. Breath smoke for fun, fucking brilliant. I danced like I’ve never danced before while on MDMA which has let me feel more comfortable moving to music. The rush, it’s coming!!! I’ve been engulfed in the emotions of others while on mushrooms and my empathy is stronger for it. The room has an energy, it flows through us all. Aside from the occasional drink the only drugs I use now are nicotine and caffeine yet I have no regrets whatsoever about the others. So where is my commercial?
Yet all of these drugs pale in comparison to the effects of LSD. Lets go on a journey, a trip, hahahaha. A person could read the bible a thousand times and come no closer to god, a few milligrams of this drug and suddenly they feel at one with creation. Oh, there you are. Most drugs have undeserved negative stigmas but acid definitely has the worst. Oh nothing, just popping bubbles. They say it drives people crazy or makes them jump off buildings, these stereotypes just aren’t true. If he thought he could fly why didn’t he start from the ground? It has helped me explore the deepest workings of my mind and know myself like never before. I feel, I know, I am.
One night I spoke to god. Yeah, that’s not really you. I was well aware that I was tripping, the visuals I had were about as powerful as what you see after glancing directly at the sun. The stars died so I could be here today. He took the form of George Carlin leaning over a wall smoking a cigarette. Well aren’t you just as cool as a cucumber. He never said anything, just gave me glances when I said something stupid or listened passively while I talked. You’ll never give us proof of your existence. I would speak and think out loud, trying to work out the tumultuous cascade of thoughts. Whatever man. It was powerful at the time, I look back on it now and it doesn’t mean much. You like burning ants. These experiences, while undoubtedly hallucinations, are still ripe with meaning. Metaphors, metaphors, metaphors.
The best way I can describe being on acid is a rather loose metaphor. Vessel of ideas, symbol manipulations. If your brain is a bucket and your thoughts are tetris blocks lying inside of it, LSD shakes the bucket. Listen and you might learn something. Thoughts bounce around and rearrange, some of the arrangements are completely insane but others make a scary amount of sense. There is nothing here. There is a danger though, if the bucket gets shaken too much things might fall out. Slowwwww downnnnnn. Not to say that you will go crazy but too much could take you places you don’t want to go, like a very unpleasant memory. I want to forget. There is immense value in looking at things from a new angle, that is the most fascinating effect of LSD. Wow.
I have also felt what it is like to be insane without actually crossing that line. Wait, no, hahaha. When thoughts rush at you without control and you have no way to block them out you are at the mercy of your subconscious. Wait, no, hahaha. After these experiences I found a new appreciation for my sober mind, the ability to direct my thoughts as I wish. Wait, no hahaha. Just like anything you might take for granted, you don’t realize its value until you know what life is like without it. Wait, no hahaha. Neitzsche said “When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Wait.
These experiences are far from clear cut; I have undoubtedly taken risks with such mind altering substances even without the potential legal consequences. Life without living is no life at all. Though it is hard to put my finger on exactly what I learned from trying out various drugs, there are a few definite things I can say. Nothing is certain. I am more comfortable in my own skin, I know that death is not something to be feared, and I know that the most powerful force in all of human existence is the bond between people. Vibrations in the mind of god, whose true name is love.
Back on the couch I found myself rooted to my seat and drifting away in a sea of thought. Symbols representing symbols. Some of the things I’d learned are floating in and out of my consciousness, others I could barely grasp for more than an instant. Imagination of myself. I knew that I wanted to write a song but I didn’t (and still don’t) know how, I’d never done it before and knew nothing about songwriting. So what? My guitar was lying across my lap, the taught strings on the neck and tantalizing curves of its body were taunting me with their simple beauty. (...) Suddenly a group of ideas appear in my mind; music is just emotion in vibration, an incomplete feeling expressed in words that are paired with a partial sound. Pretentious prick, what do you know of music?
After staring at the back of my guitar for long enough, I started to write in my notebook. Let if flow. The words poured onto paper; flowing strong in no particular direction and I felt better for it. Puddles of ink can move mountains. When I read them the next day some made sense and some didn’t but I vividly remember the emotion they were attached to. Vibrations of feeling. Eventually I rewrote those lyrics and rewrote the tune to them. It’s coming clear, slowly. Those first words were the earliest ones I’d been proud of, the first of any creative work which I felt had any merit. The sound of life. I’ve since written much more, some good and some bad but that’s how these things go. And that’s ok. I know for certain that those hours I spent mumbling to myself changed the direction of my life. It doesn’t matter. I write and play music when I have no other outlet, it clears my head and eases my worries in a way nothing else ever has. My peace and great reprieve. Without the confidence I found sifting through all that chemical nonsense, I would likely be living without the greatest comfort of my life. Oh wait, I forgot, I don’t exist.
Monday, July 22, 2013
A Brief Class Analysis from an Anarcho-Transhumanist Perspective
Just like other schools of anarchist thought, anarcho-transhumanists would (or ought to) understand that a just society demands that everyday people control the means of production. I am definitely of the opinion that the means of production and the most advanced technologies are in the hands of a small minority. Technology won't set us free, we have to do that. In fact waiting or doing nothing is the most dangerous thing we could possibly do.
I consider myself a transhumanist first and an anarchist second. Frankly I am very selfishly motivated, yet what I understand as necessary to achieve my own goals demands a just society for all. Anarchy is a necessary condition for transcendence, hence anarcho-transhumanism. As far as I can tell, there are two primary causes for this.
1) It is impossible for any one person to discover their most ideal trans/post human existence. The best way for each of us to find the most fulfilling existence is to allow people to have an enormous variety of experiments in living. Watching and learning from others provides the best opportunity to find the life I want, thus maximum liberty for all is necessary. Hence, anarchy.
2) I find the implications of singularity combined with current power structures to be unbelievably terrifying, far more horrific than anything I have ever learned or thought of.
Consider the current power structures of today. I tend to divide them into three categories; physical control, informational control, and resource control. Physical control refers to policing and military forces. Information control refers to propaganda and restrictions on the availability of information. Resource control refers to restricting or specifying what resources are available, who can obtain them, and how they are obtained. These three work as a tripod to support each other; when one starts to fail the other two attempt to prop it up but this can only do so much. As of now, if one arm fails then they all fail so power structures are strongest when all three are maintained more or less equally. Modern advanced technology greatly improves two of these means of control yet is undermining a third. However, given enough advancement, any single arm could support and permanently enforce a power structure.
Physical control has been improved via modern military weapon systems (drones) and crowd control (LRAD and ADS). These are terrifying means of physically forcing compliance while far more effective and terrifying ones are being sought out and developed.
Resource control we see through our capitalist economy. With the means of production in the hands of a small minority, compliance can be demanded at the expense of going hungry. As economies of scale continue to shift in favor of greater and greater consolidation, the means of production will be further consolidated into the hands of a smaller minority. This could be counteracted by technologies like 3D printers but we're a long, long way, from being able to print food. Even then, there have even been calls by some to require federal registration of all 3D printers. Typically this is where many transhumanists like to claim that technology will set us free, they could not be more wrong. Mainstream usage of 3D printers and similar technologies is prohibitively expensive and will continue to be long before they can supplant our current economic systems. Thus through the near future, if not longer, resource control will continue to be a very effective means of controlling people.
Information control is beginning to fail, thanks to the advent of the internet. It is making huge waves and this form of control is the most likely arm to collapse. The power elites know this, that's why there have been so many attempts to control the net. Propaganda is no longer as effective as it once was and people are constantly being exposed to 'dangerous ideas,' such as anarchism. Corruption is more and more apparent and discontent is rapidly spreading. Attempts at censorship will continue until they succeed or one of the other arms of oppression attains a certain level of advancement.
This is where it starts to get terrifying. Imagine any one of these types of control taken to an extreme.
Physical control could be enforced via robots and drones. I've seen proposals where a fleet of microdrones would be dropped over an area to search out and eliminate a target(s). Big Dog and others (such as Petman) are getting very rapid improvements as well. Streets policed by platoons of terminators may be impossible to overrun. Unless people maintain the right to bear arms, which is one of many reasons I support 2nd amendment rights, this would be the end of civil disobedience, permanently.
Resource control could be total via extreme vertical integration. As efficiency ramps up via technological improvements to production, it becomes increasingly prohibitively expensive to enter a market. If a single organization, or oligopoly of organizations, control food production then they could demand obedience by not providing food. We're already seeing this start to happen. Include in this control of money, paper money could be deemed obsolete in favor of credit cards. These cards could be turned off at a whim by a totalitarian system, preventing anyone deemed undesirable from obtaining food through established means. Compliance would be guaranteed by the need to fulfill the basic necessities of life. The only possible counter to this would be farming cooperatives, which are far less efficient than factory farms and could easily be shut down with the excuse of having committed some minor crime.
Information control has the most horrific implications. Consider smartphones today, we are all carrying microphones and cameras which constantly transmit their location. At any time someone could be listening in. This serves primarily as an augment to physical control though can easily be used to discredit and outmaneuver any political dissident. Now imagine the trend of increasing integration taken to a greater extent, implants. Contact lens like interfaces (the natural extension of Google Glass) and cochlear implants (the natural extension of many bluetooth devices) could be hijacked for direct control over sensory input. At an extreme, they could be used to cause temporary blindness or deafness. More realistically they could serve as direct delivery of propaganda. Now take this just a little bit farther, brain implants. These could be imposed under the guise of security, or they could simply be sold to us as the new hot thing. They could directly interfere with signal processing or cognitive functioning. Say goodbye to free will, you are now a semi-autonomous cell of The Borg.
Granted each scenario is a very extreme case but it only takes one to pan out, or some combination to pass a threshold, for control to be total.
So, back to the connection with anarchism. The above scenario must not be allowed to happen. Yet it is inevitable if the current power structures persist for just a couple more decades. I don't need to convince you how hard the power elites will try to stay in control. They will use whatever means necessary and will never draw a humane line. More than I want to transcend, I want to avert this outcome. It terrifies me more than I can express.
A total dismantling of all power structures is the only way I can think of to make sure this does not happen. This clearly requires an egalitarian distribution of the means of production, among many other things. As far as I can tell, there is no anarcho-transhumanist theory on how to go about this but the 'technology will set us free' attitude is dangerously naive. There must be an anarchist revolution before transhumanist ideals can be truly achieved.
On a relevant side note, I think anarchism and transhumanism are intricately linked. If we manage to have an anarchist society then there will be people who seek transcendence. That would catalyze a transhumanist revolution and the continued liberty from anarchy would allow it to continue to the furthest extend I can imagine.
I consider myself a transhumanist first and an anarchist second. Frankly I am very selfishly motivated, yet what I understand as necessary to achieve my own goals demands a just society for all. Anarchy is a necessary condition for transcendence, hence anarcho-transhumanism. As far as I can tell, there are two primary causes for this.
1) It is impossible for any one person to discover their most ideal trans/post human existence. The best way for each of us to find the most fulfilling existence is to allow people to have an enormous variety of experiments in living. Watching and learning from others provides the best opportunity to find the life I want, thus maximum liberty for all is necessary. Hence, anarchy.
2) I find the implications of singularity combined with current power structures to be unbelievably terrifying, far more horrific than anything I have ever learned or thought of.
Consider the current power structures of today. I tend to divide them into three categories; physical control, informational control, and resource control. Physical control refers to policing and military forces. Information control refers to propaganda and restrictions on the availability of information. Resource control refers to restricting or specifying what resources are available, who can obtain them, and how they are obtained. These three work as a tripod to support each other; when one starts to fail the other two attempt to prop it up but this can only do so much. As of now, if one arm fails then they all fail so power structures are strongest when all three are maintained more or less equally. Modern advanced technology greatly improves two of these means of control yet is undermining a third. However, given enough advancement, any single arm could support and permanently enforce a power structure.
Physical control has been improved via modern military weapon systems (drones) and crowd control (LRAD and ADS). These are terrifying means of physically forcing compliance while far more effective and terrifying ones are being sought out and developed.
Resource control we see through our capitalist economy. With the means of production in the hands of a small minority, compliance can be demanded at the expense of going hungry. As economies of scale continue to shift in favor of greater and greater consolidation, the means of production will be further consolidated into the hands of a smaller minority. This could be counteracted by technologies like 3D printers but we're a long, long way, from being able to print food. Even then, there have even been calls by some to require federal registration of all 3D printers. Typically this is where many transhumanists like to claim that technology will set us free, they could not be more wrong. Mainstream usage of 3D printers and similar technologies is prohibitively expensive and will continue to be long before they can supplant our current economic systems. Thus through the near future, if not longer, resource control will continue to be a very effective means of controlling people.
Information control is beginning to fail, thanks to the advent of the internet. It is making huge waves and this form of control is the most likely arm to collapse. The power elites know this, that's why there have been so many attempts to control the net. Propaganda is no longer as effective as it once was and people are constantly being exposed to 'dangerous ideas,' such as anarchism. Corruption is more and more apparent and discontent is rapidly spreading. Attempts at censorship will continue until they succeed or one of the other arms of oppression attains a certain level of advancement.
This is where it starts to get terrifying. Imagine any one of these types of control taken to an extreme.
Physical control could be enforced via robots and drones. I've seen proposals where a fleet of microdrones would be dropped over an area to search out and eliminate a target(s). Big Dog and others (such as Petman) are getting very rapid improvements as well. Streets policed by platoons of terminators may be impossible to overrun. Unless people maintain the right to bear arms, which is one of many reasons I support 2nd amendment rights, this would be the end of civil disobedience, permanently.
Resource control could be total via extreme vertical integration. As efficiency ramps up via technological improvements to production, it becomes increasingly prohibitively expensive to enter a market. If a single organization, or oligopoly of organizations, control food production then they could demand obedience by not providing food. We're already seeing this start to happen. Include in this control of money, paper money could be deemed obsolete in favor of credit cards. These cards could be turned off at a whim by a totalitarian system, preventing anyone deemed undesirable from obtaining food through established means. Compliance would be guaranteed by the need to fulfill the basic necessities of life. The only possible counter to this would be farming cooperatives, which are far less efficient than factory farms and could easily be shut down with the excuse of having committed some minor crime.
Information control has the most horrific implications. Consider smartphones today, we are all carrying microphones and cameras which constantly transmit their location. At any time someone could be listening in. This serves primarily as an augment to physical control though can easily be used to discredit and outmaneuver any political dissident. Now imagine the trend of increasing integration taken to a greater extent, implants. Contact lens like interfaces (the natural extension of Google Glass) and cochlear implants (the natural extension of many bluetooth devices) could be hijacked for direct control over sensory input. At an extreme, they could be used to cause temporary blindness or deafness. More realistically they could serve as direct delivery of propaganda. Now take this just a little bit farther, brain implants. These could be imposed under the guise of security, or they could simply be sold to us as the new hot thing. They could directly interfere with signal processing or cognitive functioning. Say goodbye to free will, you are now a semi-autonomous cell of The Borg.
Granted each scenario is a very extreme case but it only takes one to pan out, or some combination to pass a threshold, for control to be total.
So, back to the connection with anarchism. The above scenario must not be allowed to happen. Yet it is inevitable if the current power structures persist for just a couple more decades. I don't need to convince you how hard the power elites will try to stay in control. They will use whatever means necessary and will never draw a humane line. More than I want to transcend, I want to avert this outcome. It terrifies me more than I can express.
A total dismantling of all power structures is the only way I can think of to make sure this does not happen. This clearly requires an egalitarian distribution of the means of production, among many other things. As far as I can tell, there is no anarcho-transhumanist theory on how to go about this but the 'technology will set us free' attitude is dangerously naive. There must be an anarchist revolution before transhumanist ideals can be truly achieved.
On a relevant side note, I think anarchism and transhumanism are intricately linked. If we manage to have an anarchist society then there will be people who seek transcendence. That would catalyze a transhumanist revolution and the continued liberty from anarchy would allow it to continue to the furthest extend I can imagine.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Anarcho-transhumanism; my interpretation of what that means
It all comes down to liberty and what that means for humans living in this world. Before I became interested in anarchy, I was fascinated by the implications of the technological singularity. It directly implies that we humans can evolve to the point where the reality we experience would be radically different from the one we live in today. This can be relatively simple, such as enhanced senses (hearing, vision, etc.), or it could manifest as radically reimagining the conscious experience. (Enhanced memory, cognitive processes, etc.) If it is possible for us to experience existence in an unimaginable variety of ways, then how is that different from the possibility of living any of a huge variety of possible lifestyles?
I consider the human form limiting, a temporary stepping stone towards a much broader and vast state of being. Our persistent dependence on very specific physical conditions becomes in itself oppressive given that it is possible for us to be free of those limitations. Any limitation or arbitrary restriction of liberty is offensive to me, including things such as my need for a certain ambient temperatures or organic chemical energy. In this sense, anarchy takes precedence as capitalism and statism directly impact my ability to meet physical needs. My current dependence on certain means of satisfying those needs is restricting, and oppressive in the context that there are many ways of meeting those needs. Anarchists seek to end the oppression and restrictions imposed by our current social systems but, for me at least, that is a means to post-human existence.
I define liberty as the ability to act upon will. As an anarcho-transhumanist, I seek to maximize liberty for all. This directly aligns with most of the goals of anarchism and transcends them. If it is my will to shape the physical world into a certain form, any conditions which prevent the implementation of my will are restrictions which ought to be overcome. 3D printing is an excellent example, having a 3D printer which can create an unimaginable variety of objects increases my ability to shape the world as I desire. Therefore having greater access to 3D printers maximizes my liberty. Today, the greatest restrictions on my liberty come from capitalism and the modern state but, once those are overcome, the struggle to end restriction imposed by my physical form will take priority.
I cannot speak for other anarcho-transhumanists but, for me, anarchism is a means to the next step of human evolution. Anarchy is the necessary condition to transcendence; I want to transcend therefore I am an anarchist.
I consider the human form limiting, a temporary stepping stone towards a much broader and vast state of being. Our persistent dependence on very specific physical conditions becomes in itself oppressive given that it is possible for us to be free of those limitations. Any limitation or arbitrary restriction of liberty is offensive to me, including things such as my need for a certain ambient temperatures or organic chemical energy. In this sense, anarchy takes precedence as capitalism and statism directly impact my ability to meet physical needs. My current dependence on certain means of satisfying those needs is restricting, and oppressive in the context that there are many ways of meeting those needs. Anarchists seek to end the oppression and restrictions imposed by our current social systems but, for me at least, that is a means to post-human existence.
I define liberty as the ability to act upon will. As an anarcho-transhumanist, I seek to maximize liberty for all. This directly aligns with most of the goals of anarchism and transcends them. If it is my will to shape the physical world into a certain form, any conditions which prevent the implementation of my will are restrictions which ought to be overcome. 3D printing is an excellent example, having a 3D printer which can create an unimaginable variety of objects increases my ability to shape the world as I desire. Therefore having greater access to 3D printers maximizes my liberty. Today, the greatest restrictions on my liberty come from capitalism and the modern state but, once those are overcome, the struggle to end restriction imposed by my physical form will take priority.
I cannot speak for other anarcho-transhumanists but, for me, anarchism is a means to the next step of human evolution. Anarchy is the necessary condition to transcendence; I want to transcend therefore I am an anarchist.
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