Tolstoy, Amodei, and Machines of Loving Grace

Why do men stupefy themselves? Tolstoy asked and answered the question of alcohol consumption by painting the picture of man as fundamentally conflicted: a fallen angel with nobility in his soul, and a scrabbling caveman, toiling just to stay alive. When the noble and saintly man considers his real circumstances, and the squalor and work he must endure, it is only through numbing his very being that he can live with himself. That man’s conduct and his conscience are in constant friction, and the bottle is his means of refuge. As drinking has declined and been replaced by a different kind of numbing agent (drinking away the evening and scrolling it away feel remarkably familiar), the human psyche continues to be soothed. I was reflecting on Amodei’s essay on the future of AI and what it would mean for the human race to be economically irrelevant (wholly supplanted by AI). His positive take was that there are a raft of activities people take part in where they have no comparative…

Commenting on Bubbles has been removed. Why? If you want to talk about this post, write to the author, use the comments on their blog if it has them, or reply with a "RE:" post on your own blog. Suggestions? feedback@bubbles.town