Future Timeline

Here's a thread dedicated to Isaac Arthur and his sci-fi/sci-tech video series

And here's the video that actually got me interested in making this thread:


I've discussed before my own thoughts about how to industrialize the moon. In short: we ought to let robots do it and leave human presence on the moon minimal.

I've been thinking about this more and more in recent days, about how simulations offer a form of post-scarcity. In fact, probably the only true post-scarcity possible in the physical universe.

Yuli Ban wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:03 am
I've been thinking about this more and more in recent days, about how simulations offer a form of post-scarcity. In fact, probably the only true post-scarcity possible in the physical universe.

Absolutely, especially in light of the fact most of us will probably spend most of our waking moments being plugged in. If we need to interact with the original reality, we'll probably do it via true telepresence of some form, to the point we can't distinguish between the sensation of being inside a robot body and our natural one.

You'll be dematerialized until you're a brain floating in a jar.

funkervogt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:50 pm You'll be dematerialized until you're a brain floating in a jar.

And not too long after, we won't even need a brain after some major discovery that undoubtedly proves consciousness is fundamental to all matter, not just the brain.

raklian wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:09 pm

funkervogt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:50 pm You'll be dematerialized until you're a brain floating in a jar.

And not too long after, we won't even need a brain after some major discovery that undoubtedly proves consciousness is fundamental to all matter, not just the brain.

Maybe. For sure, there's no law of physics blocking us from stripping ourselves down to brains only.

funkervogt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:16 pm

raklian wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:09 pm

funkervogt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:50 pm You'll be dematerialized until you're a brain floating in a jar.

And not too long after, we won't even need a brain after some major discovery that undoubtedly proves consciousness is fundamental to all matter, not just the brain.

Maybe. For sure, there's no law of physics blocking us from stripping ourselves down to brains only.

You are probably right. All organs other than the brain are just systems that supply nutrients to the brain. It's not too much of a stretch to create something artificial that essentially does the same thing. It's not too dissimilar to the experiment in which they grew a lamb fetus in an artificial womb (although it didn't survive at the end).

You know, I've been hearing about metamaterials since around 2006, and it wasn't until this video that I understood what they are supposed to be.

The previous convo makes me wonder...between transhumans, digital minds, and disembodied brains, what if we see an "Anthropocene Explosion" of sorts take place across the galaxy to the point where by the year million, there are so many different sapient descendants of humanity that an alien passing by would simply assume that everyone here somehow developed intelligence at around the same time and then formed a galactic government, a la Star Trek?

Nothing based on technology is inevitable. But if we keep progressing, something like the Singularity will come.