How Science Will Lead the Coming Reboot

[don]

Re: How Science Will Lead the Coming Reboot

utopia (n.)

1550s, from Modern Latin Utopia, lit. "nowhere," coined by Thomas More (and used as title of his book, 1516, about an imaginary island enjoying perfect legal, social, and political systems), from Greek ou "not" + topos "place" (see topos). Extended to "any perfect place," 1610s.

In the 21st century we don't lack for utopians even here on the 'tulip. Free markets . . . Energy Independence . . . all good if you ignore the political economic reality.

(boffo point, reggie, but I believe it's Thomas Moore and not Thomas More, unless, of course, that's a wickedly cunning tribute to the true god of America - consumerism . . .)

[reggie]

Re: How Science Will Lead the Coming Reboot

In the 21st century we don't lack for utopians even here on the 'tulip. Free markets . . . Energy Independence . . . all good if you ignore the political economic reality.

I'll post, in the video forum, a 3-part BBC documentary ("All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace") that shares, among other things, two utopian concepts that have had wide global exposure: first, Randians who saw themselves as a prototype for a future society where everyone could follow their own selfish desires; second, digital entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley set out to build computer networks that would allow the creation of a society where everyone could follow their own desires, yet not fall into anarchy.

What Heinz von Foerster seems to say (and he headed-up the bio-computer lab at U of I Urbana-Champaign for many yrs), in the video clip published a few posts earlier in this thread, is that science based (ie "rational") conclusions based upon data can be manipulated to the will of those conducting and promoting the science. If one then leverages this science to draw conclusions that remakes society and human belief systems, then almost anything can be sold as utopia, as long as one has the horsepower to convince the public of their view.

(boffo point, reggie, but I believe it's Thomas Moore and not Thomas More, unless, of course, that's a wickedly cunning tribute to the true god of America - consumerism . . .)

I didn't think anyone here was listening.to these inputs. Glad to be caught-out.

[Chomsky]

Re: How Science Will Lead the Coming Reboot

I'll post, in the video forum, a 3-part BBC documentary ("All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace") that shares, among other things, two utopian concepts that have had wide global exposure: first, Randians who saw themselves as a prototype for a future society where everyone could follow their own selfish desires; second, digital entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley set out to build computer networks that would allow the creation of a society where everyone could follow their own desires, yet not fall into anarchy.

What Heinz von Foerster seems to say, in the video clip published a few posts earlier in this thread, is that science based (ie "rational") conclusions based upon data can be manipulated to the will of those conducting and promoting the science. If one then leverages this science to draw conclusions that remakes society and human belief systems, then almost anything can be sold as utopia, as long as one has the horsepower to convince the public of their view.


I didn't think anyone here was listening.to these inputs Glad to be caught-out.

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is among the biggest mind-blowers I have ever seen -- absolutely brilliant television.

[reggie]

Re: How Science Will Lead the Coming Reboot

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is among the biggest mind-blowers I have ever seen -- absolutely brilliant television.

Yes, it starts to pull together some very important Meta-concepts, and I thought of it because I've tried to express some of the machine-type thinking, discussed in the documentary, in my posts here. Hence, I think it has relevance to the kinds of social systems that we transitioning in to, and therefore, the economies of these social systems.