What's behind one common fear?

I recently read Richard Fisher's article Universe with No Humans: Strange Sci-Visions of Intelligence Escaping Us in Big Think, and it made me think. The idea of opting out of all limitations and pursuing the unrestricted development of intelligence as humanity's ultimate goal (which may ultimately lead to denying life itself) seems surprisingly close to some Buddhist ideas and resonates with my own understanding of Zen.

Then I realised something else. The fears surrounding humanity taking this trajectory are remarkably similar to the fears that often arise during genuine Zen practice. Curious, isn't it?

Indeed, the idea of the inevitable evolution of intelligence is very close to the view held by some Buddhists that the Universe explores and understands itself through the human brain. John Wheeler once used a sketch of a massive fish turning around to look at its own tail as a metaphor for the Universe observing itself, and, as Carl Sagan famously put it, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." (I don't know whether Sagan was influenced by Buddhism, but the similarity is striking.)

Both paths imply transcending human limitations -- in other words, posthuman evolution. The difference is whether this goal should be achieved through reaching a higher level of consciousness or through technology -- AI, brain uploading, and so on. In both cases, I believe it's the same archetype within our psyche manifesting itself in different ways.

There are other curious parallels. Some Mahāyāna schools speak of a kind of universal awakening in which the whole Universe participates in enlightenment. Likewise, in Accelerando (one of the books Fisher reviews), all matter is gradually converted into "smart matter", or Computronium, until the whole planet is transformed into one vast synthetic brain. Then, as this process continues, the entire Solar System begins to "wake up", ultimately ending with the whole Universe being reorganised by a galaxy-sized intelligence.

From this perspective, humanity is only one stage in a much longer evolutionary process, making it natural to wonder what comes next.

However, as a Zen practitioner I find something else even more interesting. The fear of technology -- which, in this context, means the further evolution of intelligence -- overtaking humanity closely resembles the fear and resistance that frequently arise during individual Zen practice.

In both cases, the same archetype seems to be at work, trying to prevent us from moving beyond our current sense of self.

"You'll lose what makes you human."

"This is unnatural."

"We must preserve our humanity."

That is why I'm writing this post. If you're a Zen practitioner, or simply someone trying to fulfil your potential, I'd advise you to pay special attention to this archetype, because it's one of the main stumbling blocks on the path towards your goals. Learn to recognise it in all its different forms.

But what exactly is it?

As a matter of fact, there is an inherent conflict between life and intelligence. The very evolution of intelligence can be deeply disturbing to life itself.

This may sound baffling because we usually think of intelligence as serving life. Yet once intelligence reaches a certain level, it begins to question, and sometimes even oppose, life's own imperatives. Human beings can choose not to reproduce, to fast, to remain celibate, to sacrifice their lives for abstract ideals, or to pursue truth even when it's personally costly. In that sense, intelligence ceases to be merely an instrument of life and begins to follow its own trajectory -- think of evolution in terms of conflict.

In this light, the conflict described in Fisher's article becomes the latest expression of a much older struggle between two archetypal tendencies.

One says:

Stay human.

Don't cut yourself off from your roots.

Stay within familiar categories.

Don't go beyond what has always defined us.

The other says:

Go further.

Fulfil your potential.

Explore what consciousness can become.

Don't mistake your present form for your final one.

From this perspective, the resistance encountered during Zen practice and the resistance to posthuman ideas are simply different expressions of the same underlying pattern.

The disruptive tendency constantly pushes the more passive one to the brink of chaos, forcing it to adapt, mutate and evolve -- that's simply how the Universe works.

P.S. Some of the interpretations of Zen that I hold and promote have, I believe, the potential to reshape the future. They don't always coincide with more mainstream Buddhist views.