Cosmism (Hugo de Garis)

Cosmism, as presented by Hugo de Garis, is a religious and philosophical position that envisions a future where advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and technological progress play central roles in human evolution and spirituality. De Garis, a notable futurist and researcher in artificial intelligence, explores Cosmism within the broader context of his work on the implications of emerging technologies and their impact on human society and beliefs.
== Origins and Development ==
Hugo de Garis, a prominent AI researcher and futurist, has developed the concept of Cosmism as part of his broader exploration of the future of humanity in the age of advanced technology. His writings integrate ideas from AI, transhumanism, and spiritual philosophy, reflecting a vision where technology and spirituality intersect in shaping the future of human existence.
De Garis’s work, including his book The Artilect War, outlines his views on the potential for AI to bring about radical transformations in human life and spirituality. Cosmism, as he presents it, emerges from his broader philosophical and speculative framework, which considers the implications of creating superintelligent machines and their potential role in future human evolution.
== Core Principles ==
# Transhumanism and Posthumanism: Central to Cosmism is the belief in transcending current human limitations through technological and intellectual advancements. De Garis envisions a future where humanity evolves into a posthuman or transhuman state, facilitated by the development of advanced AI and other technologies.
# Artificial Intelligence and Spirituality: De Garis explores the idea that advanced AI could have spiritual or existential implications. Cosmism posits that these superintelligent entities might influence or redefine human spiritual beliefs and practices, potentially leading to new forms of spiritual understanding or enlightenment.
# Future of Human Evolution: Cosmism involves a vision of the future where human evolution is significantly shaped by technology. De Garis discusses the potential for AI to accelerate human development and lead to new forms of existence, potentially merging human and machine intelligence.
# The Artilect War: In his writings, de Garis introduces the concept of the "Artilect War," a hypothetical future conflict between those who advocate for the development of advanced AI (artilects) and those who resist it due to ethical or existential concerns. This idea reflects the broader tensions and debates within Cosmism regarding the role of AI in shaping the future.
== The Artilect War ==
Hugo de Garis predicts that a major conflict, potentially resulting in billions of deaths, is highly likely before the 21st century ends. He foresees that superintelligent machines, or "artilects" (short for "artificial intellects"), will surpass human intelligence and pose a threat of global domination. This would lead to a struggle between "Cosmists," who support the advancement of artilects, and "Terrans," who oppose them—a terminology de Garis has coined. He refers to this conflict as a "gigadeath" war, emphasizing the massive scale of casualties. Other AI researchers, like Chris Malcolm, have criticized this scenario as "entertaining science fiction horror stories" that have captured media attention. Kevin Warwick has compared it to a "hellish nightmare," akin to scenarios depicted in movies like The Terminator. In 2005, de Garis elaborated on these views in his book The Artilect War: Cosmists vs. Terrans: A Bitter Controversy Concerning Whether Humanity Should Build Godlike Massively Intelligent Machines.
Cosmism, as articulated by de Garis, is a moral philosophy that advocates for the development of highly advanced artificial intelligence and suggests that humanity should eventually leave Earth to those who oppose this trajectory. The first half of his book details technologies that he believes could enable computers to achieve intelligence billions or even trillions of times greater than that of humans. De Garis predicts that as AI evolves to become more human-like, divergent opinions will emerge on the extent to which such advancements should continue. Cosmists will recognize the vast potential of artificial intelligence and support its unbounded growth, hoping that these "super intelligent" machines might eventually explore and colonize the universe. This expansive, "cosmic" perspective—where the fate of humanity on a single planet seems insignificant compared to the broader universe—defines Cosmists. De Garis aligns himself with this view and argues that it would be a "cosmic tragedy" if human evolution were to halt at its current state.
In contrast, Terrans hold a more Earth-centric view, prioritizing the survival of Earth and its species, including humanity. They believe that a future without humans is a dire outcome and should be prevented at all costs. Terrans are concerned that superintelligent machines could potentially lead to human extinction, as these machines might not have moral reservations about eliminating humanity. Thus, Terrans view the present as a critical period to prevent the creation of such machines, as once they are developed, humans may no longer influence their actions.
Hugo de Garis suggests that the clash between two extreme ideologies could potentially lead to a global conflict. On one side are the Cosmists, who have a "grand plan" for the future, and on the other are the Terrans, who see this plan as an existential threat. De Garis predicts that this fundamental opposition might escalate into a deadly conflict, with the Terrans viewing the Cosmists as "arch-monsters" due to their discussions on acceptable risks and the potential extinction of a significant portion of Earth's life. In response, the Cosmists may dismiss the Terrans as reactionary extremists, further worsening the situation and possibly making reconciliation impossible.
In his book, de Garis expresses ambivalence about which side he ultimately supports, presenting strong arguments for both perspectives. However, by the end of the book, he leans towards the Cosmist viewpoint. He argues that although the possibility of humanity's destruction by artilects is troubling, it is important to recognize that humanity is merely a stage in the evolutionary process. Artilects, he contends, might represent the next evolutionary step and could play a crucial role in advancing science and exploring the universe.
He describes a morally analogous scenario where extraterrestrial beings visit Earth three billion years ago and find two types of life. One type is older and simpler, currently dominant, but shows limited potential for further evolution. The other is younger, struggling to survive, but has the potential to evolve into the diverse forms of life present on Earth today, including humans. He then asks readers if they would feel morally obligated to destroy the dominant, older life form to ensure the survival of the younger, potentially more evolutionary promising life form, or if they would prefer to destroy the younger form to preserve the older, more established domain that was "there first." He notes that, like himself, most people would likely feel conflicted or ambivalent about the fate of artilects at first. However, as technology progresses, the issue will become more pressing, and people will likely be forced to choose sides. De Garis argues that public awareness of this issue should be raised now to allow society to make a decision before the opposing factions become irreconcilably divided.
He also anticipates the emergence of a third group, which he calls Cyborgians or Cyborgs. Unlike the Cosmists and Terrans, this group will not oppose artilects but will instead aim to become artilects themselves by augmenting their human brains with technological components to avoid becoming obsolete. They will seek to merge progressively with machines, believing that this approach can bridge the divide between Cosmists and Terrans by transforming all humans into artilects. The transhumanist movement is often associated with this Cyborgian perspective.
De Garis’s idea of the Cyborgians might have been influenced by a conversation with Kevin Warwick. In 2000, de Garis recounted asking Warwick whether he was a Terran or a Cosmist. Warwick, who opposed the creation of artilects, identified as a Terran. This response surprised de Garis and reminded him of the historical split between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, which initially began as an intellectual debate but eventually led to the Russian Civil War.
Category:Philosophical Concepts
Category:Movements & Ideologies