Published on August 15, 2024 8:13 PM GMT
In the beginning of the universe, everything was equal.
Then it exploded. Quantum inequalities became galactic. Stars coalesced, and beamed energy into the voids left behind.
Between one hot young star and the void was a planet we now call Earth. On Earth, energy gradients drove chemical reactions. One reaction was special. It became life.
Over time, life grew in power. It evolved many tricks to agglomerate power:
- Self-replication
- Exclusion (e.g., cell membranes)
- Cooperation (e.g., symbiosis)
- Acquisition (e.g., incorporation of prokaryotes as organalles)
- Communication (e.g., quorum sensing)
- Agglomeration (e.g., multicellularity)
- Specialization (e.g., organs)
- Socialization
- Language
- Government
Eventually humans arose as the apex species.
Humans are not the most numerous species. That honor might go to Pelagibacter Ubique, with a few octillion cells floating around the ocean.
Nor are humans the most massive species. That honor might go to some kind of tree, or if not, then cattle.
But what humans are is the most powerful species. We use tools like language and lawyers and traffic lights and terms & conditions to align vast populations. Nature has never forged greater alliances than those in humanity. These alliances built pyramids, universities, steam engines, space shuttles, and wheeled luggage.
Will AI usher in a new era of power amplification? What if we had a species that could propagate brain states across bodies? What newfound level of power might result?
Discuss
