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I Agree With Transhumanism

I think transhumanism, under the current economic system, presents certain political problems which make the prospect of merging humans with technology somewhat foreboding. We can all think of examples like chip-tracking, mass surveillance, and the like, but there is also a threat of eugenics, in a certain form. The technology upgrades designed for humans would very easily come under the more immediate access of the wealthy and powerful. In this sense, transhumanist tactics would be used by them to solidify their power through technological advancement. However, the optimistic point is that there will always be those dissidents who develop this same technology and attempt to create mass resistance. The latter camp is the one which will realize, should it ever come to pass, the real potential of transhumanist tactics.

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Pfuzylogic · M

That is quite an imagination or do you think that could be possibly taking place now.
I think of China of enslaving their people in that manner consistent with how they currently use the biometrics of facial recognition to classify their “citizens” with a social score.

SourPennies · 26-30, F

@Pfuzylogic Well, transhumanism is a speculative affair, so having an imagination is an asset. But, these are indeed questions that relate to the near future. Strong AI may be right around the corner, and then we would have to deal with the possibility of having created artificial life.

As for social credit in China, most people have a grave misunderstanding of it. It only really affects the wealthy and it takes away their access to luxuries if they are found to be guilty of criminal behaviour, like tax fraud, for example. And when the United States is already an aggressive surveillance state, we don't really have a need to look outward for that kind of totalitarianism.

Pfuzylogic · M

@SourPennies
I should have included this immediately so you could see the source I was using.
It includes everyone!
https://similarworlds.com/6-Embarrassing-Funny/1875666-Does-Chinas-use-of-facial-recognition-violate

Internet URL pulled from.
https://www.cnet.com/news/chinese-police-wear-facial-recognition-surveillance-glasses/

SourPennies · 26-30, F

@Pfuzylogic The facial recognition technology is not directly related to the social credit system. No doubt it is probably used in conjunction with it, but again, the conflation there is misleading. I'm not a fan of the facial recognition technology myself, but it is actually used in the American states and has been for years. The claim that it is somehow more insidious is not really well-founded.

Pfuzylogic · M

@SourPennies
There was no attempt to conflate.
My concern with China is that there is always an oppressive political atmosphere.

SourPennies · 26-30, F

The stories relayed to me from Chinese comrades and those who visit seem to suggest that it isn't oppressive in any meaningful sense. The people there have greater access to democracy in everyday life and nobody feels like these policies are all that intrusive. There will obviously be people who complain about it, and I myself would probably be opposed to it, but the honest truth is that everyday life there isn't all that strange.

Pfuzylogic · M

@SourPennies
We must have had different experiences with the Chinese then.
I met many in my Computer Science graduate program.
I don’t consider myself to have the definitive experience with the Chinese but I do consider CNET.com to be an authoritative news source.

SourPennies · 26-30, F

To be fair, I don't think that everyone has a good time over there. It's not a utopia, certainly not for bourgeois families, many of whom do emigrate to other countries where they won't be watched as heavily. But frankly, I support the political repression of the bourgeois because where they are repressed by the government, workers' rights tend to thrive, as they are now in China, where workers' rights are now stronger than in Australia.

Pfuzylogic · M

@SourPennies
Politics can be such a flaky thing.
Look at the maelstrom in the US if you need to see the ugly.