Thursday, March 7, 2019

Yuval Noah harari

Yuval shares some traits of Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins in that they challenge the centrality of fictitious narratives in controlling mass behaviour.
   "We cannot search for truth and for the way out of suffering without the freedom to think,investigate, and experimentSecular people cherish freedom,and refrain from investing supreme authority in any text,institution or leader as the ultimate judge of what's true and what's right.Humans should always retain the freedom to doubt,to check again,to hear a second opinion,to try a different path.Secular people admire Galileo who dared to question if the earth really sits motionless at the centre of the universe;they admire the masses of commoners who stormed the Bastille in 1789 and brought down the despotic regime of Loius XV1 and they admire Rosa paerks who had the courage to sit down on a seat reserved for white passengers only.
          It takes courage to admit ignorance and venture into the unknown.Secular education teaches us that if we don't know something,we shouldn't be afraid of doubting our opinions and checking ourselves again.People throughout history worried that unless we put all our faith in some set of absolute answers,human society will crumble.In fact.modern history has shown that a society of courageous people willing to admit ignorance and raise difficult questions is usually not just more porsperous but also more peaceful than societies in which everyone must unquestioningly accept a single answer.Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question."
   So when everyone believes that AI and robotics lead to the betterment of society,what would be its dehumanizing effect when we create something that surpasses its creator?
As Harari postulated"Biotechnology and artificial intelligence now seek to change the very meaning of humanity.If we are committed to the right to life,does that imply we should use biotechnology to overcome death?If we are committed to the right to liberty,should we empower algorithms that decipher and fulfil our hidden desires?If all humans enjoy equal human rights,do superhumans enjoy super rights?

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