Humans are not benign specie

 

There is enough evidence from history, as also personal observations and experiences, to be fairly certain that humans are not benign specie.  To be driven by empathy seems like collective opportunism wired for survival and not for egalitarian purpose. To be civilized is not given but evolved attribute that comes with effort, to dissociate from primal self for better self. Much of the subtle values that hinge best of humanity is not natural outcome within the specie but an intense effort by enlightened few to work a framework. Many philosophers, as also saints, strived for better possibilities and a saner world that percolates to define modern institutions and human progress.  More of these few people and consolidation of enabling framework better the chance for each to evolve and sophisticated values to permeate. Few centuries back religion (faith/superstition) had a significant role in framing society’s morals and individual ethics. That these continues into modern times directly contradicting accumulated awareness and undermining thinking capacity of educated individuals points to opportunism of few to keep extending the control. This has debilitating impact on egalitarian institutions that hinges on critical thinking and humanitarian concerns. It is therefore natural for opportunist religion to undermine democratic institutions and side with worst whether colonialism, racism, nazis, feudalism, neoliberal consumerism, authoritarian tendencies and as active agents in much of strife and dehumanizing (of the other) across the world. Benign roots, if ever, of most religions can only extend its patronizing presence into modern world in overwhelming hypocrisy, it persistently undermine contemporary reality and human progress.       

Many years back I spent some time to travel around the country to find out how religion percolates to common people’s everyday psyche (ofcourse since then I am quite convinced that this system that has outlived its purpose -in the context of contemporary human awareness, continues for reason of insecurities and juvenile minds incapable to take responsibility hence cling to fiction for solace, lacking self-awareness gravitate to authority figure. I am indeed quite viciously dismissive of religion and see it as constant threat -a herd churning mechanism that nurtures contexts for worst possibilities. More you observe more you are convinced of any redeeming value except maybe to create fear and restrain the herd from slipping to its worst version). I created specific questions to probe the commonest of person, ideally situated in holiest of sites of a specific religion, in an attempt to work an objective analysis (visit https://depalan.blogspot.com/2008/10/two-questions-dho-sawal-randu-chodiyam.html).Religion does have an influence in framing of outlook but it doesn’t seem natural. It is contrived to appear faithful or personal yearnings seeking goodness of religion which can be beneficial if it nurtures egalitarian values. Since it lacks thinking it seems a dangerous toss of fate for herd, it may work or may go horribly wrong -ranging from dehumanization to grandeur to collective hallucination. What is increasingly apparent with religiosity is increasing exceptionalism and supremacism that the religion seeks to differentiate to create followers and dissociation from reality. Quite a natural state when you are controlled. Indeed, what frames the outlook of a person is complex but religion does influence significantly for majority of people. Even if a person may be secular the level of percolation of religion in society and institutions does create influence as a consolidation or a reaction. All religions are not same nor do they create same context hence cannot be equated thus the impact on collective varies. This must be clearly understood. Religion is an ancient conception that had much relevance in meagre limited medieval world. The continuation of these juvenile conceptions into modern world shows hold of sinister forces capitalizing innate opportunism that defines human specie. Benign framework is an arduous effort built on the grit and sacrifices of best of humanity over the centuries. It must be understood that much of humans are free riders who could very well find themselves suited in hunter gatherer group and choose representatives to democratic institutions based on cave mind imprints that define leaders, assign roles for gender, define morals so on. This is very much normalized and institutionalized into herd mind through religion. These cave mind imprints are used to trap humans into time capsule that replicate cave mindset in modern setting.

Egalitarian values and humanistic concerns therefore must be consolidated through institutions and stridently defended through rule of law that percolates as norms. Liberty and freedom must be asserted as right of individual and not of herd. Human is the concern of human right, and any attempt to diminish human is diminishing of human right. By this very definition all regressive systems and framework lose their claim to represent human hence human right. A human has right to profess faith but a system doesn’t have right to profess faith to a human and claim as human right. If education is value based that nurture thinking aware individuals and empathetic collective then regressive systems will easily be eviscerated. If rule of law asserts egalitarian values nurtured through democratic institutions, then blessedness -exceptionalism and supremacism, will be checked and denied space. It must be made clear that human progress is an achievement of value system consolidated over centuries through egalitarian humanistic concern that value diversity of each individual and critical thinking that nurture progressive thoughts. If these are not defended then herd gets the impression that human progress and personal fortune is because of blessedness, very much facilitated by greatness of their religion as means to channelize miracles for favors. This blessedness is a dangerous presence and infects mind into unhinged vicious ways. An embodiment of entitlement that holds civilized norms/decency and democratic institutions as mere props for their blessedness to flourish, a fate that asserts superiority of their religion, and carries its obnoxious bearings wherever it emerges, a sense of invincibility that fuels arrogant recklessness and wanton consumption. Humility comes with self-awareness and is not a contrived sideshow of blessedness.

Capitalism originated as means for efficient trade and commerce from Asia to middle-east for centuries, it is controlling nature of state and religion that consolidated capitalism into ceaseless accumulation of privately controlled capital while carefully calibrated ethics of religion created labor force as a duty and for religion to propagate as well-meaning guardian. Human opportunism bypassed Adam Smith’s benign self interest into neoliberal capitalism that see this greed as inevitable and indeed natural extension of human desire and innate nature thus unleashing crudest possible value system that exploited fellow humans into organized slave trade as they were transported across the continents as commodities. Slavery was banned despite innate nature of capitalism syncing with human barbarity through egalitarian corrections facilitated stringent rules. Keynesian state intervention and labor laws gave capitalism a human face before neoliberal blasted its way across through charismatic leaders as pawns to convince the world, and since then this runaway capitalism continues to vandalize the world into brink of immense catastrophe while devaluing liberal democracy. There seems to be no alternative, as someone said “It is easier to imagine end of the world than the end of capitalism!”. There are many alterative suggested but it seems the system is too entrenched to even recalibrate capitalism (I am not an expert in economics, I need not be an expert on poison to know that it kills, the present model of ‘development’ is sinister). It is here that one must understand the importance of collective assertion of best of human values strived through rule of law and collective empathy, and urgent need to eviscerate feudal systems and regressive values that lie dormant for opportune moment. It must be understood exploitation preceded capitalism and must be acknowledged that capitalism did provide space for prosperity that elevated HDI. The innate and primal nature of human must not be allowed to gain credence and presented as credible option or diversity ruse. Human beings are not benign specie nor especially blessed. They have evolved through millions of years of natural selections, mutations, seemingly unsurmountable odds and good fortune (so have dragon flies), while institutions evolved through immense sacrifice, diligence and inquisitive human ingenuity to present spectacular possibilities for humanity and nurture sophisticated cultured caring humans. This awareness of immensity is humility. Innate primate nature of cave minded herds wallowing in crude exaggeration and posing in blessedness must be dealt strictly and made to realize their utter limitations and vacant selves. This is the task.  

Upheaval

 

Or perhaps the breeze will gather

Autumn leaves into a mound

And invoke a final wish

To summon spirits deserted in the darkness

Those who can listen will see

No meaning in flight of birds or sifting clouds

All things settle in undulating simulation spiraling in

Calibrated for inevitable upheaval

Lightest imprint of wild footprints

Leave unbearable silence for eons to ponder  

     

The way we sense the world

 

What is appropriate is the way we cannot sense the world. You will be amazed how little of the world we can sense. It is so ridiculously limited that much of the world bypass us. Even an insect can sense vibrant colors we are blind to. Our senses are so limited compared to other species that it can be utterly embarrassing. While we totter in the dark the elegant bat has dexterously approximated the reality in wonderous ways. Not only are our senses limited to deal with near reality but is woefully inadequate to time space vastness of universe. We are but enveloped in sliver of reality that much of the world is beyond our grasp. It is therefore remarkable that we are aware of this limitation. This awareness is very much consciousness of the universe attempting to understand itself. Human brain is a remarkable conception that has worked to overcome limitations of senses and has indeed the capacity to surpass all life form in all possibilities of senses.

All that we understand we have codified it in writing. There is however much to the world that even the best writers find inadequate to express. Language many times fail to encapsulate the reality. What is clear though is that language cannot be dismissed. It is very much a substantial repository of collective human experience. What is remarkable about generative AI is the capacity to sense connections hitherto impossible. What really riveted me to the possibilities of AI (while I was reading Eric Schmidt co-authored The Age of AI during pandemic) was the discovery of antibiotic Halicin, the properties of molecules that AI could ‘sense’ that we still cannot decipher. This was tremendous. Hence there is much in emergent understanding of language that can be deeper and startling, and I have experienced it. LLM therefore cannot be dismissed. It will bring emergent understanding of collective experience. With multimodal input this will get sophisticated and has the potential to approximate much of the reality in a superior way than humans could. This then will add to the complexity. The emergent possibility is stupendous. Scaling will peak, and what will be valued is efficient complexity emulating billions of years of life's struggle to approximate living. A tree doesn’t keep growing, it approximates the reality of existence in profound prescience of life. This prescience has significant element that is not computable. There seems to be quantum entanglement at work or something much subtler that life has tapped. Multimodal models will no doubt produce superior AI -bigger computable world and emergent complexity, and will surpass human in many ways, but will have to face the quantum limitation. There is a crazy world that is tangoing inside us that can be speculated to have a role in this awareness -it seems inconceivable otherwise -there has to be incomputable crazy element! That is producing this reality. Very soon we may even have capacity to replicate this carbon form into silicon. Hopefully my molecules will hold on to for that many years to witness this amazing leap of human imagination!                              

Disembodied presence rivets transactional value

 

An artist is defined by art. A sportsperson is indelible extension of his or her talent. Without art an artist is disembodied presence, a footballer outside arena is a transactional value. Special talents are admired for their exceptional skills which is very much embodied in the act of creating. Highest tribute to a talent is appreciation of skills. Showcasing the person outside his skills as trophy to ogle and jostle to be photographed with is crudest way of celebration. It is vulgar expression of adolescent society incapacitated to comprehend what must be valued. When this behavior is mainstream one can be quite sure how deep the rot is.

Best footballer doesn’t come to play football in this godforsaken part of the world but to wave at the crowd. Best athlete doesn’t come to participate in athletic event but to show his cricketing skills or dance moves. Best tennis player lands to participate in fashion event or some ridiculous subpar event as gimmick. The best in the world seems to have evaluated this society in its lowest denominator while the inbred corrupt moneybags lacking basic intelligence or morals see this as an opportunity to play the herd. The disembodied talent is taken around to excite the herd as also valuable mandatory lessons on blessing and fate. Herd gets lessons on what is to be nobody and what is to be somebody, and a clear path for fate and blessing. Afterall these bunch of useless people stampeding to get photographed with disembodied talent aren’t anyone with any special talent but chance of fate! They really don’t care about the game nor they need to. There is a different game they are adept in and every occasion is an occasion for this positioning. This kind of crude celebrity culture thrive in a society that seriously lack genuine talents hence presence of exceptional talent becomes a miracle. It therefore is more than sighting but a darshan -that they are trained to stampede for. The cringe show is bereft of any self-awareness. This is opposite of appreciating talent, it is an affliction, a disease. Market monetize this transactional base stampeding for disembodied presence packaged to ogle.   

Exceptional talents are not confined to market defined outlet that exaggerate but all across us in every small way. I really don’t know what is there to interact with a uniquely talented sportsperson or even an artist since the skills is in the act of expression already presented. I also really wouldn’t like to meet a talented writer since he or she has expressed, the aesthetics is beyond their presence and very likely not in interaction. People I would like to interact would be scientists (or an original philosopher like say Camus). What talented scientist achieved matters but more of what matters is the way of thinking and insights this thinking carries into unrelated probes. Yes, if you come across exceptional talents like footballer Messi, who is applauded and adored by millions, then you could wave or acknowledge but this stampede is embarrassing if not disgraceful. Appreciate the game, applaud the skills and embodied talent as it performs. Maybe one day you may see the game beyond the players and the art beyond the artists.