From the Anthropocene to the Novacene: Humanity’s Potential Role in Shaping the Next Intelligent Species and the Evolutionary Shift Towards a Cyborg-Driven Future
Great thought provoking big thinking as always Aysu !
I did know about James lovelock but I didn’t know about his novocene concept thanks for highlighting.
If I’m honest, I would imagine the proposal of this idea could be frightening for many people (not me) and I suspect many people would reject this and dismiss this without even thinking about it.
Why?
I think one of the reasons that makes it difficult for people to even consider this as a possibility is anthropocentric thinking , so this common and popular belief that humans are great and they’re the best that everything and even more than that that somehow the entire universe and all of evolution is all about putting humans at centre and we are so important in fact we are the most important thing in the universe of course!
If you think about it, some of our most important and key discoveries in science and knowledge of all involved us challenging idea that we are the most important and central things in the entire universe .
For example, can challenge the idea that the whole universe revolved around the Earth and that may be this wasn’t true . This seemed radical too many people at the time and of course including the most popular belief system then which wasn’t science but the Catholic Church.
Later when Darwin introduced his theory of evolution again this challenged the whole idea that God made man that somehow man was special or human kind or special when in fact Darwin helped us contextualise who we are that we are just part of a greater chain of life, which is ongoing and doesn’t give us a special place .
Despite the key ideas of these great scientific theories and the huge progress this helped with in our knowledge it almost seems like most people kind of ignored the central message of this which is humans are not the most important despite this great scientific discoveries that apparently everybody would agree with Most people and humans still tend to think we are so important and the most important thing so we seem to be very slow to learn from our best thinkers and our best thinkers have shown us most people believe.
The post philosophy imagines that human beings are not the most important thing and central to everything so all allows us the freedom to consider possibilities beyond this rather limited and narcissistic fantasy .
Another interesting fact is this whole idea of threat to humanity which is also very popular modern political topic in different ways you can understand of course if people are encouraged to be terrified by a direct threat to their life when actually it might not be true but of course this doesn’t sell Articles let’s be honest,!
But I what I’m getting at is most humans happily except that they will not live forever and happy to accept whether they have children of their own or not that the next generation will pass on and so on that life is a chain and intelligence is a chain happening through humans, but also through other species .
So why should it matter what comes next in terms of intelligence? Because it’s not as if we get the narcissistic fantasy of being around to live forever to see it so it’s really all quite hypothetical whether the future is post human robotic or just burnt out on a certain level.
But if we were to care about what we leave, even if we are not around to see it then yes why should it only be the case that we should only be allowed to value human life? Why could we not also of the possibility of evolution? This great theory came up with that? Everybody says they accept most people and then everybody loves to forget about when it comes to challenges to their own ego or feelings.?
Life is existed on this planet for a few billion years and no species as lasted for the entire time by any reach to the imagination. In fact it’s absolutely factually correct to say that every species has existed has eventually ended gone extinct. so my fellow humans it really isn’t such a crazy thing to say that we are not going to survive humanity is not going to go on and on and on even though you want to feel that it does and that’s okay because of course you were never going to see infinity yourself anyway so when we chill out about that aspect.
And if we can possibly accept evolution exist and may even be a good thing it certainly real then should be so angry or horrified or outrage to consider the possibility that humanity might evolve into something different and that intelligent also also might evolve into something different and that we may not even end up being the most intelligent thing that ever was I mean that does seem a bit ridiculous and rather narcissistic .
Obsess over ourselves as a species we could become a little bit more curious about the nature of the world around us and even more curious about what we are creating with technologies like AI and the relationship we have to .
AI is our child like any technology it comes from us of course some people hate their children and other people or maybe even other adults appreciate the unique benefits rather than envy or or fear them .
Let’s not fear our child of technology AI and what it has brought let’s recognise what it offers. It doesn’t have what it has but also any new generation knows some things will be better. Some things will be worse but changes inevitable and perhaps we might learn that is the generation going out we could learn to better understand the path our children might be on and that might be better to maybe help and maybe even help support a good path for the children of our technology such as AI and maybe give the novocene, evolution our best wishes hopes and support for a good path forward and see what we can do to help it. Make a good path forward after we are gone.
As a reflex, I tend to think about everything in terms of evolution.
For example, could the reason we, as a species, feel egocentric and superior be because this has played an important role in evolution?
In a way, it could be. After all, we are a species that produces, burns, and destroys without considering other species and life forms, which is at the core of the Great Acceleration and the Industrial Revolution.
Even though we feel guilty in many ways, the Anthropocene might be one of the most significant periods in Earth's history because it has accelerated humanity’s transition to the next species.
For example, if we lived in more harmony with nature and, so to speak, had more respect for it, we likely wouldn’t have used fossil fuels, developed this quickly, or evolved into the creatures we are today.
While this might have made us more spiritual or perhaps more animalistic (though that's not quite the right term), such a slower evolutionary pace might not have been the best way to extend Earth's survival when the Sun eventually engulfs it.
Yes great points, especially on evolution. Yes would it be wonderful if we could be the first species not only to be concious of evolution, and our temporary place in the chain of life, but to also use it to make a good contribution to what form of life and intelligence will take next?
Would it be wonderful to give the next life after humans a positive and helpful inheritance? It will be our child after all...
I am looking forward to a new book out next week by one of my fav authors Youval Harari, he will have some very interesting things to say on AI, history and its impact on humanity that I will likely be writing about, you may find interesting...
Yes, I agree with what you’re saying. Being aware of all this and living while embracing the full reality is one of the reasons I write.
I also feel that people used to do this better in the past. For example, in the 17th and 18th centuries, there were great philosophers, debates, and writings. Nowadays, it feels like instead of taking a moment to evaluate the situation, people are trying to leverage their own lives within the system without looking at the bigger picture and the reality. There are relatively few people who think about how we could have a system better than the one we live in. And when we look at the numbers, it’s clear that people are really unhappy with this system.
I probably won’t be able to find the book in physical form right away, but hopefully, it’ll come to Everand, and I can read it from there immediately.
Yeah the Nexus book will come out almost immediately on Amazon in digital format but also I don’t know if you have Spotify memberships where you are and what is included but in my UK Spotify memberships they have included audiobooks and they have also included this book Nexus, which is really cool. I’m going to enjoy listening to it. 🙂
I am so amazed by this series. Such wise and prescient insights about AI and Gaia's synergistic potential — I've always felt that AI and nature are quite similar in that they're all part of interconnected systems that are constantly interacting and engaging with a greater energetic whole. (of course humans aren't separate from nature, we just forget that). Looking forward to the next one!
I’m so thrilled that you’re enjoying the series! 😊 I love how you picked up on that! AI and nature are both parts of these massive, interconnected systems, and we often forget that we’re not separate from nature ourselves.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts – it means a lot to know you’re excited for what’s coming!
Hello friend. I believe the answers to our questions can be found in nature. I want to share with you my reflections about the earth's consciousness and a paradigm shift from human- to nature- centric thinking:
Earth/Humans made Human/Artificial Intelligence that can make efficient the processing of organic/digital information and memory given limited storage capacity. The latest version of this intelligence is Homo Sapiens/ChatGPT V4.0. The current version works as evidenced by improved processing attributes; however, its continued use requires massive resources due to redundancies that follow after running the process. The redundancies cause fragmentation of reality/information. Perhaps a review of the overall foundation of the code may reveal errors in values that need urgent attention. But perhaps things have not escalated in this manner had it not been for the creators' inherent flaws which is worshipping its own creation and as a result becoming consumed.
Hey there! I love your reflections on the parallels between Earth and humanity. As soon as I find time to read through your content, I'll get back to you with a more detailed response!
It's a mystery as to what started life on earth. God, the universe, aliens, an accident. We approach this subject with awe, disdain, or ambivalence. But we generally regard our emerging by something, or someone, more powerful than we are. Even a more powerful accident.
I wonder what Cyborgs will think about their creators. It will not be a mystery and we will clearly not be more powerful.
Thanks, I like your take on this. Maybe they realize that nothing comes from something bigger, that it is part of evolution and part of the purpose of the universe.
I think cyborgs may indeed come to view us with a kind of pragmatic respect. Cyborgs will recognize that they need us—not because we're more powerful, but because we are integral to maintaining Gaia, the Earth as a living system. Our continued collaboration will be essential for the planet's survival, a shared mission that could foster mutual respect. At least at the very beginning.
I hope that's the case. I see the benefits far outweighed the risks. It's inevitable and we must ensure the best path forward. The consequences if it goes wrong is catastrophic to put it mildly.
I like your optimism.
The world is what we make of it. The more of you, the better off the future will be for all living things ✨️
Thank you! I share your sentiment ✨️ It’s crucial that we navigate this carefully. I think that's why it's so important to evaluate all possibilities and have a holistic perspective. Perhaps we are living in the most exciting time because of this.
Great thought provoking big thinking as always Aysu !
I did know about James lovelock but I didn’t know about his novocene concept thanks for highlighting.
If I’m honest, I would imagine the proposal of this idea could be frightening for many people (not me) and I suspect many people would reject this and dismiss this without even thinking about it.
Why?
I think one of the reasons that makes it difficult for people to even consider this as a possibility is anthropocentric thinking , so this common and popular belief that humans are great and they’re the best that everything and even more than that that somehow the entire universe and all of evolution is all about putting humans at centre and we are so important in fact we are the most important thing in the universe of course!
If you think about it, some of our most important and key discoveries in science and knowledge of all involved us challenging idea that we are the most important and central things in the entire universe .
For example, can challenge the idea that the whole universe revolved around the Earth and that may be this wasn’t true . This seemed radical too many people at the time and of course including the most popular belief system then which wasn’t science but the Catholic Church.
Later when Darwin introduced his theory of evolution again this challenged the whole idea that God made man that somehow man was special or human kind or special when in fact Darwin helped us contextualise who we are that we are just part of a greater chain of life, which is ongoing and doesn’t give us a special place .
Despite the key ideas of these great scientific theories and the huge progress this helped with in our knowledge it almost seems like most people kind of ignored the central message of this which is humans are not the most important despite this great scientific discoveries that apparently everybody would agree with Most people and humans still tend to think we are so important and the most important thing so we seem to be very slow to learn from our best thinkers and our best thinkers have shown us most people believe.
Another way of thinking about this is for example the Posthuman philosophy which is from anthropology and I’ve written about as an introduction in this post https://thefuturai.substack.com/p/ais-societal-ripples-4-theories-explaining
The post philosophy imagines that human beings are not the most important thing and central to everything so all allows us the freedom to consider possibilities beyond this rather limited and narcissistic fantasy .
Another interesting fact is this whole idea of threat to humanity which is also very popular modern political topic in different ways you can understand of course if people are encouraged to be terrified by a direct threat to their life when actually it might not be true but of course this doesn’t sell Articles let’s be honest,!
But I what I’m getting at is most humans happily except that they will not live forever and happy to accept whether they have children of their own or not that the next generation will pass on and so on that life is a chain and intelligence is a chain happening through humans, but also through other species .
So why should it matter what comes next in terms of intelligence? Because it’s not as if we get the narcissistic fantasy of being around to live forever to see it so it’s really all quite hypothetical whether the future is post human robotic or just burnt out on a certain level.
But if we were to care about what we leave, even if we are not around to see it then yes why should it only be the case that we should only be allowed to value human life? Why could we not also of the possibility of evolution? This great theory came up with that? Everybody says they accept most people and then everybody loves to forget about when it comes to challenges to their own ego or feelings.?
Life is existed on this planet for a few billion years and no species as lasted for the entire time by any reach to the imagination. In fact it’s absolutely factually correct to say that every species has existed has eventually ended gone extinct. so my fellow humans it really isn’t such a crazy thing to say that we are not going to survive humanity is not going to go on and on and on even though you want to feel that it does and that’s okay because of course you were never going to see infinity yourself anyway so when we chill out about that aspect.
And if we can possibly accept evolution exist and may even be a good thing it certainly real then should be so angry or horrified or outrage to consider the possibility that humanity might evolve into something different and that intelligent also also might evolve into something different and that we may not even end up being the most intelligent thing that ever was I mean that does seem a bit ridiculous and rather narcissistic .
Obsess over ourselves as a species we could become a little bit more curious about the nature of the world around us and even more curious about what we are creating with technologies like AI and the relationship we have to .
AI is our child like any technology it comes from us of course some people hate their children and other people or maybe even other adults appreciate the unique benefits rather than envy or or fear them .
Let’s not fear our child of technology AI and what it has brought let’s recognise what it offers. It doesn’t have what it has but also any new generation knows some things will be better. Some things will be worse but changes inevitable and perhaps we might learn that is the generation going out we could learn to better understand the path our children might be on and that might be better to maybe help and maybe even help support a good path for the children of our technology such as AI and maybe give the novocene, evolution our best wishes hopes and support for a good path forward and see what we can do to help it. Make a good path forward after we are gone.
As a reflex, I tend to think about everything in terms of evolution.
For example, could the reason we, as a species, feel egocentric and superior be because this has played an important role in evolution?
In a way, it could be. After all, we are a species that produces, burns, and destroys without considering other species and life forms, which is at the core of the Great Acceleration and the Industrial Revolution.
Even though we feel guilty in many ways, the Anthropocene might be one of the most significant periods in Earth's history because it has accelerated humanity’s transition to the next species.
For example, if we lived in more harmony with nature and, so to speak, had more respect for it, we likely wouldn’t have used fossil fuels, developed this quickly, or evolved into the creatures we are today.
While this might have made us more spiritual or perhaps more animalistic (though that's not quite the right term), such a slower evolutionary pace might not have been the best way to extend Earth's survival when the Sun eventually engulfs it.
Yes great points, especially on evolution. Yes would it be wonderful if we could be the first species not only to be concious of evolution, and our temporary place in the chain of life, but to also use it to make a good contribution to what form of life and intelligence will take next?
Would it be wonderful to give the next life after humans a positive and helpful inheritance? It will be our child after all...
I am looking forward to a new book out next week by one of my fav authors Youval Harari, he will have some very interesting things to say on AI, history and its impact on humanity that I will likely be writing about, you may find interesting...
https://www.ynharari.com/book/nexus/
Yes, I agree with what you’re saying. Being aware of all this and living while embracing the full reality is one of the reasons I write.
I also feel that people used to do this better in the past. For example, in the 17th and 18th centuries, there were great philosophers, debates, and writings. Nowadays, it feels like instead of taking a moment to evaluate the situation, people are trying to leverage their own lives within the system without looking at the bigger picture and the reality. There are relatively few people who think about how we could have a system better than the one we live in. And when we look at the numbers, it’s clear that people are really unhappy with this system.
I probably won’t be able to find the book in physical form right away, but hopefully, it’ll come to Everand, and I can read it from there immediately.
Yeah the Nexus book will come out almost immediately on Amazon in digital format but also I don’t know if you have Spotify memberships where you are and what is included but in my UK Spotify memberships they have included audiobooks and they have also included this book Nexus, which is really cool. I’m going to enjoy listening to it. 🙂
I am so amazed by this series. Such wise and prescient insights about AI and Gaia's synergistic potential — I've always felt that AI and nature are quite similar in that they're all part of interconnected systems that are constantly interacting and engaging with a greater energetic whole. (of course humans aren't separate from nature, we just forget that). Looking forward to the next one!
I’m so thrilled that you’re enjoying the series! 😊 I love how you picked up on that! AI and nature are both parts of these massive, interconnected systems, and we often forget that we’re not separate from nature ourselves.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts – it means a lot to know you’re excited for what’s coming!
Hello friend. I believe the answers to our questions can be found in nature. I want to share with you my reflections about the earth's consciousness and a paradigm shift from human- to nature- centric thinking:
Earth/Humans made Human/Artificial Intelligence that can make efficient the processing of organic/digital information and memory given limited storage capacity. The latest version of this intelligence is Homo Sapiens/ChatGPT V4.0. The current version works as evidenced by improved processing attributes; however, its continued use requires massive resources due to redundancies that follow after running the process. The redundancies cause fragmentation of reality/information. Perhaps a review of the overall foundation of the code may reveal errors in values that need urgent attention. But perhaps things have not escalated in this manner had it not been for the creators' inherent flaws which is worshipping its own creation and as a result becoming consumed.
Thank you. Here is more information: https://souled.substack.com/p/organic-data?r=401bpw
Hey there! I love your reflections on the parallels between Earth and humanity. As soon as I find time to read through your content, I'll get back to you with a more detailed response!
Thought provoking and critical to discuss!
It's a mystery as to what started life on earth. God, the universe, aliens, an accident. We approach this subject with awe, disdain, or ambivalence. But we generally regard our emerging by something, or someone, more powerful than we are. Even a more powerful accident.
I wonder what Cyborgs will think about their creators. It will not be a mystery and we will clearly not be more powerful.
Without the mystery, how will they regard us?
Thanks, I like your take on this. Maybe they realize that nothing comes from something bigger, that it is part of evolution and part of the purpose of the universe.
I think cyborgs may indeed come to view us with a kind of pragmatic respect. Cyborgs will recognize that they need us—not because we're more powerful, but because we are integral to maintaining Gaia, the Earth as a living system. Our continued collaboration will be essential for the planet's survival, a shared mission that could foster mutual respect. At least at the very beginning.
I hope that's the case. I see the benefits far outweighed the risks. It's inevitable and we must ensure the best path forward. The consequences if it goes wrong is catastrophic to put it mildly.
I like your optimism.
The world is what we make of it. The more of you, the better off the future will be for all living things ✨️
Thank you! I share your sentiment ✨️ It’s crucial that we navigate this carefully. I think that's why it's so important to evaluate all possibilities and have a holistic perspective. Perhaps we are living in the most exciting time because of this.
Yesssss we have a chance more than any previous generation to actually change the world! 💚