Thought-provoking commentary and wonderful storytelling, as usual. Especially loved these two lines:
“Modern man experiences paralyzing anxiety because society has broken his spine. The spirit remains tenuously aware of this fracture, which is why a sense of injustice and subjugation follows him everywhere.”
“The political process is perfected—if only you could get with the program.”
Question!
Do you think it is possible that within the next decade or so, we might develop robotics that are so advanced that they might start to be capable of engaging in certain types of “tactile, artistic, emotional, interpersonal, *embodied* crafts”?
Robotic bartenders or musicians that, for some people, are more desirable than human ones? An emergent form of new intelligence?
I see the robotics question as having two aspects:
1) Even if we developed technology with the fine motor skills of a human being, I am consistently reminded of a JBP quote of him describing how sensory information "isn't just out there" in any practical sense. The ability to craft a delicious cocktail or arrange a bouquet of flowers strikes me as a uniquely human domain given the need for good taste, composition, and efficiency. I think a human bartender will always be cheaper, faster, and much more charismatic than a machine.
2) A lot of the value we derive from service, artistic, and interpersonal professions is precisely the human element. A rock band or restaurant composed entirely of robots might be fun for the sake of novelty (I'm sure Japan already has plenty of these), but most of the time we want to be able to make eye contact with a server and ask what their favorite thing is on the menu. We want our celebrities to be people we can relate to, we want emotional guidance from people who can empathize with what we're feeling, etc.
Basically, even if technology did get that far, I think there would still be a greater demand for human services outside of a few niches. McDonalds could be fully automated, a Michelin star restaurant could not.
Thought-provoking commentary and wonderful storytelling, as usual. Especially loved these two lines:
“Modern man experiences paralyzing anxiety because society has broken his spine. The spirit remains tenuously aware of this fracture, which is why a sense of injustice and subjugation follows him everywhere.”
“The political process is perfected—if only you could get with the program.”
Question!
Do you think it is possible that within the next decade or so, we might develop robotics that are so advanced that they might start to be capable of engaging in certain types of “tactile, artistic, emotional, interpersonal, *embodied* crafts”?
Robotic bartenders or musicians that, for some people, are more desirable than human ones? An emergent form of new intelligence?
Thanks Shingai! :)
I see the robotics question as having two aspects:
1) Even if we developed technology with the fine motor skills of a human being, I am consistently reminded of a JBP quote of him describing how sensory information "isn't just out there" in any practical sense. The ability to craft a delicious cocktail or arrange a bouquet of flowers strikes me as a uniquely human domain given the need for good taste, composition, and efficiency. I think a human bartender will always be cheaper, faster, and much more charismatic than a machine.
2) A lot of the value we derive from service, artistic, and interpersonal professions is precisely the human element. A rock band or restaurant composed entirely of robots might be fun for the sake of novelty (I'm sure Japan already has plenty of these), but most of the time we want to be able to make eye contact with a server and ask what their favorite thing is on the menu. We want our celebrities to be people we can relate to, we want emotional guidance from people who can empathize with what we're feeling, etc.
Basically, even if technology did get that far, I think there would still be a greater demand for human services outside of a few niches. McDonalds could be fully automated, a Michelin star restaurant could not.
I love this. Your ideas are wonderful and your voice is soothing. A rare mix. Instant subscribe from me.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoyed it :)