New Asterisk essay asks: can evolutionary humanism survive AI?
round · x · 2026-11-11
Toby Shorin's new Asterisk essay traces a lineage from the 1790s Romantic revolution, where asserting humanity as the purpose of cosmic evolution became the classic antidote to disenchantment, and asks whether that evolutionary humanism can withstand AI. The framing: transhumanism answered a 20th-century question — how to improve humans — while Silicon Valley now faces a different one: what are humans even for?
More from AGI Musings
- Claim: Daniel Kokotajlo staked equity to write AI 2027 in exchange for not criticizing OpenAI — sjgadler · 2026-11-11
- Does SF's artist exodus explain the weak consumer AI story? A spicy debate — round · 2026-11-11
- AGI red-lines advocate cites UN advocacy with 5+ former heads of state amid acceleration spat — danfaggella · 2026-11-11
- "No humanoid robot is being built by humanoids" — Matthew Chang's paradox — MatthewChang · 2026-11-11
- Author clarifies AI-and-fiction book isn't about replacing artists — _akpiper · 2026-11-11
- SayashK, Bommasani, Narayanan launch STABL non-profit on AI societal adaptation — sayashk · 2026-11-11