History
On a cosmic scale, the human species is around for just a very short amount of time. Whitin that very short amount of time, early on our hominid ancestors created tools and technology to make their daily tasks more efficient.
Tying a stone to a stick for the earliest example. It is through information - the knowledge to build such an axe - and it's forthcoming technology humans thrive on this spacerock we call Earth, ever more since we discovered ways of storing, changing, sending and spreading this universal information electronically. |
The exponential growth in knowledge available to humans, compared to what there is to know in the Universe, seems unstoppable.
Intro: The Jumping Jesus Phenomonon
|
Throughout history, knowledge is doubling at an accelerating rate, faster every generation. This has been called "The jumping Jesus phenomonon" by Robert Anton Wilson in 1966. In this video from the documentary Technocalyps by Frank Theys and Michel Bauwens, you will & can see more about this phenomenon (about 50 seconds in).
Taking 1 AD as his basic unit, Alfred Korzybski, a polish matematician, noted decades ago it took 1500 years to reach a first doubling of information, arriving at Leonardo Da Vinci's Renaissance, an era to never forget. This is 'two Jesus'. The next doubling only took 250 years. |
<< This pattern - human progress moving quicker and quicker through time - is what futurist Ray Kurzweil calls human history’s Law of Accelerating Returns. This happens because more advanced societies have the ability to progress at a faster rate than less advanced societies as they are more advanced. 19th century humanity knew more and had better technology than humanity in 1 AD, so it’s no surprise that humanity made far more advances in the 19th century than in the first. First century's humanity was no where near 19th century humanity. >> - Tim Urban
Later on this growth accelerates, doubling more than twice a year at present day. With this exponential growth in knowledge, we as a human species will have to train ourselves to be more flexible and less dogmatic if we want to keep up and deal with these changes the law predicts will come and proved by what already came true in recent years. |
red lines showing actual threshold levels for exceeding certain natural brains.
source: www.kurzweilai.net |
Moore's law, see 'Technology' further below this page, is analogue with Kurzweil's.
It is logic to propagate this data in the future, as Terence McKenna puts it in the top video;
the doubling of information will not take place in half a year but will occur in terms of months and even shorter,
but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
It is logic to propagate this data in the future, as Terence McKenna puts it in the top video;
the doubling of information will not take place in half a year but will occur in terms of months and even shorter,
but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Religion
Instead, let's go further back into time even.
Some have called this a conspiracy theory, but I really like to offer nuance on that perspective; to me it's a healthy view of the evolution society has gone through, offering a bridge between religion and science.
We have always needed a sense of belonging. A destination, a goal or a dream to pursue.
Not so long ago the amount of mysteries and unanswered questions for people was so immense, refuge to spiritual guidance is a logic course of action. It was explaining the most.
What is easier to guide a misinformed crowd with than promising them a heaven, a nirvana, a life after death, as long as they worked hard enough and were good human beings but also, paid the necessary costs (ceases)?
Some have called this a conspiracy theory, but I really like to offer nuance on that perspective; to me it's a healthy view of the evolution society has gone through, offering a bridge between religion and science.
We have always needed a sense of belonging. A destination, a goal or a dream to pursue.
Not so long ago the amount of mysteries and unanswered questions for people was so immense, refuge to spiritual guidance is a logic course of action. It was explaining the most.
What is easier to guide a misinformed crowd with than promising them a heaven, a nirvana, a life after death, as long as they worked hard enough and were good human beings but also, paid the necessary costs (ceases)?
The people would listen to all mysteries explained by words that have magical effects on their imagination. By listening, yes, as literacy wasn't for the whole world, only for those who received privileged schooling.
Wise men in long forgotten days knew that society working towards one goal (f.e. the babylon tower), to make ourselves those immortal gods, was the ultimate aspiration of all mankind. Yes, in a medieval or old egyptian setting too much was unknown, becoming immortal beings was sure as hell (pardon the pun) not going to happen any time soon. |
|
As to make everyone motivated to work for progress and live life to the best of their abilities, it's logic in times of fewer knowledge, for the public to seek refuge in superstitious symbols & carefully written commandments as feed. This was a - very good - collective motivation for the religious community to work together and grow. Until education became accessible for more people, spirituality and religion made tribes and cultures collectively pursue the same goals, based on religion & fear. A priest or medicin man were religious leaders as much as they were judges and frequently even politically engaged. They were the go-to guys for all conflicts. Indoctrination was unconscious and omnipresent, cities were small religious groups of people, worshipping and battling what was told to them to battle or worship.
|
It is wrong to say religion and science are mortal enemies since the beginning of ages as, in fact, for a very long time - and in many cultures it still is - because of religion science was made possible. It is only at times when theories hinted to contradictions such as the earth being round, not in the center of the universe and humankind having monkeys as grandfathers it was a too big of a dissonnance for the masses so that religious leaders wished to refrain to maintain social benefit. Despite many attempts, we see a species rapidly leaning towards the dawn of a new paradigm (more on paradigms later).
I also would like to add that - from Neil deGrasse Tyson's speech above: God is seen as good,
which we think means looking out for our health and longevity, which science today proves to be doing as never before.
It is fair to say, both in times of war and peace - through motives of religion - science and society as a whole has flourished, many inventions and architectural masterpieces were built and art and music were as omnipresent as indoctrination, empowering the illiterate society in it's near industrial advancements. We changed and found truth and belief through science.
Economy
The industrialisation and accumulation of knowledge, science, studies and theories breaks the superstitious hypnosis in many cultures throughout the world, stopping them of being so dependent on religion. People became educated and have more individual opinions and taste. Instead of religion there now was a rise of capitalism and liberalism, systems for a world where everyone could make their living, or so leaders claimed and for a long time, they were right.
By rewarding labour with gold (later on rewarding it with paper and virtual money), making luxury available at the right price and by the rise of financial institutions, the certainty of everyone's chances on the market - and thus chances for a better life - were thought to be assured. As long as this economic circle functioned in a more or less closed circuit with external input, it ment small regions could benefit indeed.
By rewarding labour with gold (later on rewarding it with paper and virtual money), making luxury available at the right price and by the rise of financial institutions, the certainty of everyone's chances on the market - and thus chances for a better life - were thought to be assured. As long as this economic circle functioned in a more or less closed circuit with external input, it ment small regions could benefit indeed.
picture: much like religion, the economic system today has become
more of a holdback than something that empowers beneficial advancements for human species |
Throughout time however, the global markets flooded any regional activities in such a way money was made by a few people who applied 'first come first serve' in a globalising marketplace. A connected, global society, which is benefitial for so many other things, means the economic system as we know it doesn't apply anymore.
Recently (Jan. 2015) statistics of Oxfam gave proof of this broken system, the richest 1% owns more than the other 99% (poorest) people alive. Earth is full, there is no external input left to dig up and profit from. We're burying all (people, institutions, countries) in debt according to an old system. This system got outdated and polluted by it's own global implementation. It proves very hard to shake off as a society as money still opens all doors, while holding back a world now so well connected and informed that it can function better without this economic system. |
Still we are told it is very important to have a job that pays well, because money, and nothing else, will make sure that all your family's basic needs are covered for. In a world where distribution, automation and productivity are enhancing, medicins and (preventive) cures are found for more and more medical conditions, money becomes a barrier to a society where everyone can be free. Our economic system has allowed the world to advance very rapidly, yet now starts to slow us down. We'll seek alternatives other than traditional solutions, society feels enslaved to a system it doesn't benefit from.
This change occurs gradually, yet at one point we'll have to work for moral reasons and build resourcebased rather than for personal profit, if we want our future to be the brightest imagineable (isn't that where we're going for?).
This change occurs gradually, yet at one point we'll have to work for moral reasons and build resourcebased rather than for personal profit, if we want our future to be the brightest imagineable (isn't that where we're going for?).
Technology
In a society driven by knowledge, science and technology rather than money, labour and growth without progress,
everyone can be free to openly, thoughtfully cooperate and find the benefitial solution for all of mankind.
As shown on the landing page of this website, inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller said: "It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary, war is obsolete. It is a matter of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry."
Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, in 1965 said the amount of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approx. every two years. His prediction of an evolution of technology in such a way it drastically changed our lives was called Moore's law.
everyone can be free to openly, thoughtfully cooperate and find the benefitial solution for all of mankind.
As shown on the landing page of this website, inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller said: "It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary, war is obsolete. It is a matter of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry."
Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, in 1965 said the amount of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approx. every two years. His prediction of an evolution of technology in such a way it drastically changed our lives was called Moore's law.
It did change our lives and still is in the process of doing so.
Allowing the birth of micro transistors, things like nanotechnology and bloodstream implants also become highly feasible. "An Osborne Executive portable computer, from 1982 with a Zilog Z80 4MHz CPU, and a 2007 Apple iPhone with a 412MHzARM11 CPU; the Executive weighs 100 times as much, has nearly 500 times as much volume, cost approximately 10 times as much (adjusted for inflation), and has about 1/100th the clock frequency of the smartphone." © Wikipedia |
© Wout D