Ants, Men, and the Machine

 Since I wrote this in 2017, one of the men I mention has died. The other man is now in a position of weighty power and influence. And the world has accelerated its evolution into strangeness. 

If you haven’t noticed, the world has gotten stranger lately. I can’t be accused of trying to hold on to normalcy since I wrote a weird story about a futuristic man. If you want to become a human like the one I wrote about, just hold on a few years and you might get the chance. In my fiction, an inept government fails to establish a new and improved human race. But more than that, it’s the hand of God that keeps the government from achieving the goal completely. 

I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject of Artificial Intelligence, but I've done some research in order to make the fiction more real. I certainly don’t pretend to know the mind of God, but I study and pray to acknowledge His everlasting holiness and discern His will as best as I can in my fallen human condition. And this is how I know the world is getting stranger, and that the human race is becoming more aggressive in its quest for power, and that God is patient.

In a recent article, physicist Stephen Hawking gives warning about the coming age of A.I. and how it might take over and possibly destroy us. Not on purpose, but simply by unwaveringly efficient design. Hawking said:

“You're probably not an evil ant-hater who steps on ants out of malice, but if you're in charge of a hydroelectric green energy project and there's an anthill in the region to be flooded, too bad for the ants. Let's not place humanity in the position of those ants.”

When reading this, I had to wonder if Hawking knows the book of Proverbs extols the ants for their wise and efficient toil for self-preservation. Hopefully, we’re at least as smart as ants.

This statement also appears in the article: Tesla CEO Elon Musk shares a similar viewpoint, having recently warned that humans are in danger of becoming irrelevant.

Hawking’s answer to the problem? A world government coming together for the purpose of protecting us from technology. From our own developments? From all that we cleverly invent to make our lives better? Are the computers really going to take over?  

In one regard, it’s good that the great minds of our time recognize we’re headed into unprecedented circumstance. But they aren’t suggesting we take a step back. They simply believe there is no other possibility and we must be prepared for the future reshaping of our world.

In my novels, I point out the similarities between the coming cyber world and the Tower of Babel. The need for power and the requirement of dominance once brought about something that now seems mundane: the building of a city with a great tower. Not so dangerous, but at the time God saw fit to end it. The endeavor itself was not unreasonable, it was the pursuit of power that needed to be tamed. But that fire inside us has been allowed to remain through the ages. Now our city is an artificial territory one may enter from any place at any time, and the tower we’re building is an all-powerful machine. And then, as God noted in the book of Genesis, nothing we plan will be impossible for us. Except perhaps preserving our own existence. A tower was attempted in the first book of the Bible. Could the events of the last book bring a virtual tower and a new world order to rule its exploits?

The rise of mankind to reach the heavens is nothing new. The desire to rule the world is rooted in our deeply aggressive nature not by, as Hawking states, the hard-wiring of Darwinian evolution, but because of the Fall. We exist by the grace of God and we continue to exist because of His will. We will not end ourselves by building a fierce monster of a machine. God is bigger and fiercer than anything we can come up with. He’s also loving and merciful, and He will be the One to reshape this world. But are we taking a strange step toward our own annihilation as God carries out His plan? As one redeemed, I will resist the machine and rely on the power of Christ. He’s coming to my rescue.

Top Ten Things Christians Should Know About Transhumanism

I wrote this article a few years back and it ran on various websites for a while. Some people have asked about it recently, so I decided to post it on my blog. Yes, it's a bit long for a blog post, but soon you'll be able to download it into your brain without having to actually read it. That should save you some time.

1) It’s a science.

Maybe you were absent the day your high school science teacher addressed transhumanism. More likely, your teacher never heard of it. Where does it fit? Biology? Physics? Yes. As well as computer science—it takes a computer to make a transhuman. And social sciences—it will, if permitted, change the core of culture and society. Scientific study includes:

Cryonics: Preserving the body, or simply the brain, after death with the hope of reawakening in the future.

Gene therapy: Manipulating genetic code for the purpose of improved health and function, longevity, eliminating birth defects, and creating designer babies.

Cybernetics: Technology enhances life in positive ways. No one can deny improved function for a disabled person is a wonderful achievement of modern medicine. A deaf child hearing for the first time brings tears of gratitude to all who witness the amazement on the little one’s face. But how far will a healthy human go in obtaining super hearing, vision, strength, speed, and knowledge? The transhumanist will answer that question.

Artificial Intelligence: Non-biological intelligence may seem impossible. The computer, after all, only puts more information in one place than a person could possibly remember. A computer in a man’s brain would give him unparalleled recall. But consider this: if a man is enhanced to take on the characteristics of a computer, might the computer take on the characteristics of a man and begin to reason?

2) It’s a social movement.

Social science records and interprets societal movements in the past and the present. Transhumanism, or H+ (humanity plus), is a movement in society past, present, and future. It will affect the interrelational categories of social science: anthropology, economics, politics, psychology, and sociology.

Anthropology: The human being as the subject of varied studies—biology, humanities, and history—will no doubt take on new meaning with the transcendence of the human.

Economics: Cost-effective transhumanism will surely struggle to find validity. Perhaps only the super-wealthy will experience the bounty of the movement. Or maybe the government will choose those worthy, and leave the rest of the human race unenhanced. Imagine the monetary implications of transhuman corporations.

Politics: Already, bioethics is a force governing the present and preparing to govern future technological and medical advancements, and how those advancements can and cannot be used in reaching goals nonexistent twenty years ago. Government funding now pays to research a transhuman future.

The National Institutes of Health has allocated $46 million “to support the goals of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative.” 1

Professor Thomas Sugar and Jason Kerestes, designer robotic engineers with the iProject: 4MM (4 minute mile) from Arizona State University (ASU) has been granted monies from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create a “jetpack to increase a soldier’s speed and boost a PT record to that of a four minute a mile.” 2  

Psychology: A massive shift in the perception of humanness will come as cognitive ability increases, motivation and capability for extending life becomes reality, and relationships once required for the continuance of the race are deemed unnecessary. The resulting emotional struggle and moral reckoning will likely be met not with therapy for the mind, but with a tweak to the brain.

Sociology: Social class, law, religion, sexuality will take on new roles, or no role at all.

Government and family structure will be challenged. Belief systems will adjust, or else become channels of open rebellion against the transhuman emergence.

3) Its aim is the Singularity.

If you’re unfamiliar with transhumanism, you’ve probably never heard of the singularity. This is the point in time when the human race can no longer understand or predict the outcome of its own technological advancements. As science fiction would say, the machines take over. In the words of transhumanist frontrunner and author, Ray Kurzweil:

"Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity -- technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. The implications include the merger of biological and non-biological intelligence, immortal software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand outward in the universe at the speed of light." 3

4) It has prophetic significance.

This is not too hard to fathom. Some interpret transhumanism will bring posthumans into a position of waging actual war against God. Not in the spiritual sense, but the physical. From end-times-bible-prophecy.com:

… it seems reasonable to assume that humanity will have to undergo some sort of radical transformation in order to plot a war against God Almighty. The arrogant impulse already exists. All that remains is the need for an exponential increase in human power which deludes humanity into believing it can overcome the Lord of lords. And make no mistake about it, the Bible is clear that this is where humanity is ultimately headed - physical conflict with God: "Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army." Revelation 19:19 (NLT)

Do not confuse the "war" with a spiritual struggle. According to Strong's Concordance, the key word here is translated "polemos," and means:"warfare (lit. or fig.; a single encounter or a series) - battle, fight, war." The word "polemos" appears at least 16 times in the New Testament, and in each case, it refers to physical conflict, not a spiritual one… 4

5) It has historical significance.

Again, it’s easy to see that transhumanism is yet another attempt at building a tower to the heavens in order to become like God. As addressed by author Britt Gillette:

"Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies, a monument to our greatness!" (Genesis 11:4, NLT).

The human race set out to build a monument to its own greatness, exalting mankind above God and extending its tower far into Heaven with the sole intent of usurping God's glory and authority. This innate human desire did not end with the Tower of Babel. It continues to this day, and soon it will result in one final attempt to usurp the authority of God. 5

6) It assumes both creation and evolution are failures.

The argument that God’s creative power is not good enough is an obvious one. Yet, from a transhuman mindset, it doesn’t exist at all. The transhumanist will deny creation and embrace evolution, but then insist that even the natural process of improving the species isn’t good enough. For all its altering of the fabric of society, the theory of evolution is just as much a lost cause as creation. The transhumanist can do it better. Evolution needs a techno-boost. Humanity will become more than Darwin ever imagined.

7) Intermingling of faith and transhumanism is on the rise.

If considering a future of human life enhanced by technology isn’t quite relevant in your thinking, consider that a growing number of pseudo-Christian organizations believe transhumanism is the actualization of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind.

What it means to be human will change soon and you will probably experience it. So read carefully. In the coming years computer-human interfaces will become so intimate that users may be considered superhumanly intelligent transcendent humans, or "transhumans". We will have a choice in how to use vast new power. Use it for material gain? Or, aim this power at spiritual growth. In this new era of understanding, most will see the dead end of material gain, and see a better outcome in a life dedicated to spiritual growth. For individuals taking the spiritual path, the lower hierarchy of material needs will fall away and so naturally the transhuman will become a benevolent and self-actualized spiritual being.  Ultimately, life as represented by mankind will shift from consuming material for sustenance to a flow of information. This means that we shift to a wholly spiritual life where truth is the way. As material needs diminish, transhumans will increasingly be sustained by a powerful flow of Word that can be called the Glory of God. In giving up competition and control strategies and turning to God, we grow to be all that we can be; Christ-like.

Essential to Christian Transhumanism is the notion that love is a cognitive process and God expects us to participate in our salvation by learning how to love perfectly. In this way we access the Glory of God, becoming Christ-like (Christian). 6

Other sects and religions embrace the transhuman future as a responsible continuation of faith, and quite possibly the only way organized religion will survive. There exists a Mormon Transhumanist Association. Proponents cross religious boundaries, as might be expected in an increasingly secularized society. As with Christians, people of other faiths also oppose the movement. Atheists and agnostics support or reject. From all walks and factions, it appears there is not one group that stands united. But many in the Christian community who truly understand the ramifications of transhumanism consider it to be the great delusion spoken of in the Bible.

8) It is anti-Christian.
Even so, it’s not to say Christians won’t participate, to some degree, in the rise of H+. If you can’t put down your iPhone or if you’re lost without your Bluetooth, then you know dependence on technology is an ever-increasing part of modern life. If your child is the one who can now hear you call his name, you are blessed by God. Technology is not bad. But don’t be misled by the message that our technological transcendence to being God-like is our salvation. The transhumanist goals of ending disease and poverty, of attaining eternal life, of saving the planet from the humans won’t happen. God already set a plan in motion to take care of His creation in the way of His choosing. Any other plan devised in the mind of a created being is doomed. Consider this proclamation in an article by Zoltan Ivstan, author of best-selling novel, The Transhumanist Wager.

One thing is for sure, to the human species, the birth of an advanced artificial intelligence will become far more important than the birth of Christ. Christmas, if it survives at all, will be relegated to just another commercial and cultural holiday that superstores and big business thrive on. Meanwhile, reasonable people will celebrate AI Day, the real moment in history the savior of civilization was born. 7

In response, Gonz Shimura, in his article “The Trials of Transhumanism: An Assault on Christianity”, writes:

First off, it is clear that Mr. Istvan has a tremendous amount of “faith” in not only our own human management abilities pertaining to these developments, but also that any establishment of such a thing as AI would share in its consciousness, the same moral and ethical framework as humans. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, as most know, Antichrist doesn’t mean “against Christ”; it means, “instead of Christ.” It is the replacement of Christ. Therefore, what Mr. Istvan is promoting here is quite literally the Antichrist. My particular views are that AI itself will not be the Antichrist figure as described in Bible Prophecy, but play a role in the establishment of the Image of the Beast. 8

9) You may be helped by it.
Again, technological advancements aren’t necessarily evil. They may be inspired and brought to fruition by the grace of God, whether or not the person who brings about the newest innovation recognizes that fact or not. Christian or otherwise, you may be the one whose paralysis is soon overcome. You may benefit from the use of techno-medical breakthroughs to end dementia. Your

grandchild may be the product of reproductive science unheard of when your children were born. Go ahead and love that child, who is no less a creation of God. A human who becomes a transhuman will need the same thing every human needs—the grace of God that leads to salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ. Whether or not your life is improved by whatever God allows, for however long He allows it, there is no other way to eternal life.


10) It is not fiction.
Transhumanism is certainly the subject of fiction. Many novels have been written in recent years from a secular worldview, both pro H+ and con. At least one transhuman work of fiction written from a Christian worldview exists. (Yes, I wrote it.) Some authors believe it will happen. Some simply use H+ to carry their stories. Movies have been bringing us cyborgs and AI stories for years, most without ever referencing transhumanism. There is an H+ TV series (fiction) and an H+ magazine (non-fiction). Some say the thought and goal of transhumanism is ancient, but the word came from Julian Huxley in 1957. He did not intend to describe a fictitious world, but a very real one. Behind each made-up story, and hundreds of non-fiction books and articles, is an ever-progressing scientific and cultural movement intending to redefine the meaning of life. To recreate the human being. To realize God in self. Not a wilder theme exists for a novel. But in the real world, the transhumanist

plans to take us far beyond imagination.
\

Sources

1  Susanne Posel ,Chief Editor Occupy Corporatism | The US Independent, October 1, 2014

2  Susanne Posel ,Chief Editor Occupy Corporatism | The US Independent September 13,   2014

3 The Law of Accelerating Returns, Ray Kersweil, March 7, 2001

4  http://www.end-times-bible-prophecy.com/transhumanism.html

5  Transhumanism and the Great Rebellion, Britt Gillette

6  Prepare for HyperEvolution with Christian Transhumanism, James McLean Ledford

7  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zoltan-istvan/ai-day-will-replace-     christmas_b_4496550.html

8  http://www.facelikethesun.com/trials-transhumanism-assault-christianity/

Here We Go into the Dark and the Deep

Transhumanism may become the not-so-fictitious science reality of the future. As I put it on page one of Wake the Dead—the near future. Some of my readers are troubled by the deep, dark world of altered humanity. Others consider my rendering of a new world order the more frightening prospect. But the two society-shifting events—operative AI and revolutionary government— must be closely intertwined. At least, that’s how I wrote it.

I’m deep into writing another novel now. One set in current time. No transhumans. My research intent for this new story was to read a couple of books outside my comfort zone as a Christian—books by Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett—outspoken atheists who’ve written on the subject. But I wanted to write about a likeable atheist, one who would rouse empathy, and I wasn’t sure I could do that with too much information. Some may disagree with my decision to skip the research once they’ve read the new book, but I’m okay with that.

Now that my imagination is occupied by someone other than Chase Sterling, I'm not always as judicious about the shifts in technology and how they affect our lives. For instance, after hearing the term “dark web” at least a hundred times, I decided to look into it. Not literally—I still don’t know how to pull it up on my computer. But I do know that most people refer to the “dark web” when what they really mean is the “deep web.” I started to read a beginner’s guide to accessing the “dark web” but decided to save it for after the apocalypse.

Along with the web growing dark and deep is the state of the media growing deeply unclear. The “deep fake” has surpassed “fake news” with undeniable creations of real people saying real things. Only they didn’t actually say what they said. If we can't believe our own eyes and ears, then we can't believe anything reported by any source. And if we lose all faith in the media, what will be the outcome? Somebody will need to take charge. In my books, it’s the media and entertainment conglomerate called SynVue, which gains control over both politics and the reporting of politics. Prior to this widely accepted takeover, the Constitution loses all power, and the United States dies as the Western Republic is born. Fringe groups of dissenters form and Christians begin meeting underground. But it's a gradual process and most people adjust to their new existence. That is, until SynVue turns a celebrity into a transhuman and inadvertently creates its own worst enemy. Of course, it’s only a story, the plot of my trilogy.

But the truth waiting around the bend of our reality may be just as subtle, just a weird, and just as defeating. As a Christian still enjoying the freedoms of being an American, still attending packed worship services in a publicly designated facility, still getting this blog out there on the not-so-dark web, what am I supposed to do to prepare for the future? If I learned anything from Chase Sterling, it comes from this quote at the end of Transfusion: “We will not hide. Love is too strong and judgement too certain for us to remain a whisper of weakness.” (Yes, I realize I wrote those words, but a character worth writing becomes real to the writer. So in my mind, Chase said it.)

While I’ve got the chance to share the hope of the gospel, and even if I lose the privilege, I will not hide. It’s all I have to offer, now and in the future.

Articles of interest:

New Malicious AI Reports Biggest Threats of the Next 5 Years

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/06/malicious-ai-report-outlines-biggest-threats-of-the-next-5-years/#sm.00000wi1f8c6pdcwzr4ami0awjg7p

Deep State Panics: America No Longer Believes Us!

https://www.infowars.com/deep-state-panics-america-no-longer-believes-us/

Alarming Advances Made In Digital Media Manipulation

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/03/05/digital-media-manipulation/

Happy New Year

☑ I Am Not a Robot

No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, 

but the world as it will be.    Isaac Asimov

Asimov made this statement in reference to the constant and inevitable changes reshaping our existence. Based on the realities of science springing forth from fiction, he knew we were headed for a new world. Seeing that my own fiction reports the potential human upgrades of the near future, I understand. I agree with his assumption that the wonders of science fiction are becoming the everyday way of life.

A new world is coming. We may be surrounded by transhumans when it arrives. We may have computers in our brains. We may be living far past our current life expectancy. Some may even consider death a conquered foe, for the prospect of science preserving life will bring great hope. Here is where my agreement with Asimov’s statement negotiates a major shift. Despite the pseudo faith in the god of exponential progress, those of us who wait on the Lord must know we can no longer make decisions without taking into account the world as it will be. We who follow Christ abide as the world rushes into the greatest era of man’s accomplishments, some of us mildly entertained by the whole thing.  But…

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21

No act committed in the science lab to usher in everlasting life can compare with the transformation brought by the One True Creator. He will rescue the redeemed from the perils of this world and present us glorified, ready to live forever by the only method that ever gave any real hope of living forever. Should we not take this into account when making decisions about how we live? How we spend our time? Our money? Our talents? Our conversations?

The great men and women of science will persist in trying to conquer death. I will continue, on some level, to admire them, find amusement in their efforts, and sit amazed by what is reported. I might even make up a story or two, or three, to peruse the progression. But within the core of the stories, I’ll not forget the foolishness of the meager mind of a scientist attempting to climb the tower to meet the mind of God. As for the already completed great accomplishment of God in conquering death, I stand amazed.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs 19:21

In this new year, take into account the world as it will be. Not as an existence remodeled by the wonders of science, but as a creation held together by the strong force of God, who will soon bring more wondrous changes than Asimov ever imagined.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.                            2 Corinthians 5:17