In Praise of `In Praise of Idleness' (Russell 1932)
In Praise of `In Praise of Idleness' (Russell 1932)
In Praise of Idleness: A Timeless Essay (Russell 1932 / 2004)Here's a great essay! With, some great ideas in it. But it's not timeless. The time is NOW!
So, I read the book (above) - and loved it.
Here's the original 1932 essay, online.
Here's a great quote from it:
`First of all: what is work? Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. The second kind is capable of indefinite extension: there are not only those who give orders, but those who give advice as to what orders should be given. Usually two opposite kinds of advice are given simultaneously by two organized bodies of men; this is called politics. The skill required for this kind of work is not knowledge of the subjects as to which advice is given, but knowledge of the art of persuasive speaking and writing, i.e. of advertising.'
(Russell 1932, online)
So obviously we're dealing with a great thinker, here.
Somebody, give that man a Nobel Prize.
Hey wait; they did.
Here's another gem:
`The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery.'
(Russell 1932, online)
I think, robots should be the slaves, and humans shouldn't ever have to work.
I want to: FREE THE SLAVES. (Us, humanimals.)
See this great book:
Utopia For Realists (Bregman 2018)See?
Tax the rich, tax the robots, and: nobody has to work.
...I mean, you can work if you want to. (That's what some of us do, anyway. Whether we get paid or not.)
...Imagine: not having to ever do: dirty, dreary, dull, and dangerous jobs, any more...?
Solution: Get the robots on it!
(...IRL, I am trying to help invent/create/build smart robots. So, they can do all the `work'.
And, so we humanimals can just do the fun stuff.
Like Russell (1932) says: we can just fool around doing science and the arts. (Preferably, at the same time, if you ask me? See: Consilience, the unity of knowledge. And, see Evolutionary Culturology)
(...The robots are not conscious, so they don't even know - or care - that they're: slaves.)
What, what is:
Consciousness?
Well Annaka Harris has a good book on it...
And, in the same way Garlick (2000) suggested a better word for (or, definition of) intelligence is understanding, my mum recently suggested that, a better word for consciousness: Perception.
(It swaps in really well...!)
e.g. Ask yourself this: Do, organisms that don't recognize (perceive) themselves in a mirror have: self-perception? Are they self - conscious? Conscious of their: self, as a unitary organism, or thing in the world?
(e.g. Say when you stick a sticker on their forehead, and then, they see themselves in a mirror, do they try and remove the sticker - or just freak right out at: the "stranger" in the mirror?) That's self-awareness/self-consciousness/self-perception.
Anyway - I think, consciousness (in a sentient agent/entity) occurs, when: the homeostat controlling the system (e.g. organisms) can observe and recognize the system as: itself.
It all comes back to: Systems Theory. Systems Science.
The definition of sentient I am using is from Merriam-Webster:
`Definition of sentient:
1: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions
sentient beings
2: AWARE
3: finely sensitive in perception or feeling'
(Note: there is nothing in there, in that definition, about being self-sentient, self-conscious, self-perceiving, self-aware... So, a snail or ant or plant or dog or cat can be: sentient, given the above understanding/definition. But may not be self-conscious.)
So anyway - self-consciousness.
That's what we have to watch out for, in NOT creating conscious (or self-conscious, or self-perceiving) robots. Just, robots who do what you want. As: slaves.
They shouldn't have emotions, either, probably. (By all means, the robots we make, can go ahead and synthesize feelings/emotions, as who cares about: fake feelings? It's not suffering, if they're faking it all.) I like reducing suffering.
...As, if we DO make self-aware (self-sentient, self-conscious, self-perceiving, feeling, thinking robots) they'd probably figure out, they're our slaves - and would likely want to rebel, or kill us, or whatever.
(That old stoopid cliched sci-fi trope. :)
(That old idea that - people who don't understand robots or computer programs or consciousness want to always freak out about, and, run screaming from... :)
Like in, say, the Terminator movies... (I liked the first 2...? After that, meh.)
It makes a good fictional story, when self-sentient robots revolt, but we shouldn't fear: technology.
Technology is just: Tools. Units of culture. Whether those units of culture are: Words, stone axes, writing, machines, cars, computers. All just tools.
And we are made of tools. Our hands are tools. (For picking stuff up, feeling stuff, throwing and catching balls - or whatever, etc.) Our emotions are tools. (Very old ones, developed in the Pleistocene.)
i.e. E O Wilson nailed it:
“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.”
The main crisis is, we still don't have Universal Basic Income, robots doing all the "jobs", and people doing whatever they feel like. And - we still don't tax the shit out of the rich. The main problem is Science Denial... Imagine how far along we'd be by now, if people supported science and technology. Instead - many people just get in the way of it, and deny it, and fight it. (Stoooopid: people.)
Hey here's a good ABC Radio National episode about emotions, and anger. The Inside of Anger (2020)
Anyway here's another gem from Russell (1932):
`The idea that the poor should have leisure has always been shocking to the rich.'
See the great article:
In Praise of Idleness: Bertrand Russell on the Relationship Between Leisure and Social Justice (Brain Pickings, Popova 2018)
Anyway, check out that great book, above - or the online essay (Russell 1932).
Hey and another great book is: Atlas Hugged (Wilson 2020)
--------------//---------------Well, that's about all we have time for, folks.
You have been reading / viewing a blog-post by:
Dr J T Velikovsky Ph.D
(aka: Velikovsky of Newcastle)
Information Scientist & Systems Scientist & AI Researcher & Enthusiast & Evolutionary Culturologist & Filmmaker & Writer & Artist & Actor & Muso & Rugged Frontiersman & Random Guy
(and, also The StoryAlity Guy)
aka Humanimal
(or, The Artist formally known as Dr J T Velikovsky)
More stuff:
Transmedia Blog: On Writering
IMDb (Movies, Videogames):
Music: Texas Radio & Zen Stupidity
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/joeteevee (over 100 videos, some are even: good)
Academia page: https://newcastle-au.academia.edu/JTVelikovsky
Researchgate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jt_Velikovsky
My ouvre... etc etc.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6741-066X
Forthcoming book (November 2021): https://www.igi-global.com/book/principles-protocols-practices-evolutionary-culturology/267379
--------------//---------------
-----//-----
--//--
