“The metabolic pathways of pain and malaise evolved because they served the fitness of our genes in the ancestral environment. They will be replaced by a different sort of neural architecture – a motivational system based on heritable gradients of bliss. States of sublime well-being are destined to become the genetically pre-programmed norm of mental health.”
Said in other words:
“Think of the most wonderful experience of your life – now imagine if life could be as good as that – or rather imagine if life could be better than that all the time. Just imagine if your best experience ever could be lower than tomorrow’s hedonic flaw. Other things being equal, wouldn’t it be better if we live in paradise?
Now, for much of history this kind of talk would be simply dismissed as utopian dreaming; that manipulating the environment in innumerable different ways has been tried and to be honest we’re not significantly happier now than ancestors on the African savanna – certainly not if suicide, depression marital breakup statistics etc. are taken seriously. However thanks to biotechnology now it will be possible re-engineer ourselves; to edit our own source code; to rewrite the vertebrate genome and to enjoy life animated by gradients of bliss.”
“Paradise engineering” is a term used by David Pearce to describe a world without suffering and where the vertebrate hedonic setpoint (going from -10 to +10) is lifted up by e.g., 100 points. Information is then identified by gradients of bliss (instead of negative and positive emotions).
When I hear people say “Next to extinction, the most likely outcome of AGI is a future of abundance” this kind of experiential abundance (rather than material abundance) is what comes to my mind.
While I am personally not 100% subscribed to David Pearce´s ideas, I will share some more of his ideas in a future newsletter because I think they are fascinating, thought-provoking, and also scary. In the meantime, I can recommend The Good Drug Guide – The Responsible Parent´s Guide to Healthy Mood-Boosters For All the Family. A tough read but worth it.
Weekly observations
I share two Weekly Observations in my newsletter every week, similar to the one above. You can find the full archive here.
Disclaimer
The content available on this website is based on the author’s individual research, opinions, and personal experiences. It is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes and does not constitute medical advice. The author does not endorse the use of supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, or hormones without the direct oversight of a qualified physician. People should never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they have read on the internet.