Beyond "pets or uploads": a case for a third path where humans are empowered but not augmented
luke_drago_ · x · 2026-11-01
croissanthology sketches the two default post-singularity paths for humanity — "Successionism Lite" (humans as Culture-type pets of greater minds, championed by Scott Alexander and Anthropic) and "Uploadvaganza" (human augmentation as control, championed by Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin and Sam Altman) — and rejects both.
The author finds the pet scenario an unimaginative, hobbit-like future that abandons human values, and is skeptical augmentation could expand her mind without severely damaging her values and sense of self. She's working on a third option: a future where humans are empowered yet do not need to augment themselves.
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