Welcome back to our series World Mythology Warnings for Today. In case you missed our previous (and first) episode, be sure you click here to explore what happened in Persia. In today’s second episode, we’ll revisit Ancient Greece as we present a tale that has been told across generations: Icarus’s Flight. This particular legend captures a dangerous moment of human ambition gone awry; and where balance (neither too much nor too little) was meant to be the guiding principle. Icarus is the famed young lad in Ancient Greek legends who flew too close to the sun, and faced dire consequences that cost him his youthful life. His tale is a tragic legacy that has found new life in today’s interpretations—especially when it comes to people who take modern technological advancements too far to the extremes. Let us begin with a bit of the myth’s background story to set things into motion: Read Part 1 Of Flight and Fall This story first begins on the island of Crete. It was here where the brilliant craftsman Daedalus and his young son Icarus found themselves trapped in a sprawling labyrinth. Furthermore, this very labyrinth happens to be a complex prison built by Daedalus himself for the tyrannical King Minos. The despotic king decided to have Daedalus imprisoned so that the former could abuse the latter’s gifted craftsmanship for his own gain, whilst also preventing Daedalus from sharing his genius inventions to the outside world. In addition, the king feared that Daedalus would reveal his secrets (and scandals) to other rival realms. As a means to control Daedalus on a tighter leash and to ensure the craftsman’s allegiance, Icarus was held hostage by King Minos as collateral. Daedalus, however, was determined to break free… and so the craftsman turned to his own ingenuity to come up with a solution. The craftsman began to make plans by fashioning wings from feathers gathered on the island and then using wax to bind them. He made wings for himself as well as for his son Icarus, and the two were ready to make their escape. Before taking flight, Daedalus gave his son this one solemn warning: Stay in the middle course. Do not fly too low where the sea’s spray could weigh down the wings, and do not fly too high where the sun’s heat would melt them. With the hope of freedom at last, both father and son leapt from the cliffs and soared above the Aegean. As Icarus made his first flight and finally felt the taste of liberation, the young lad was caught in the thrill of flying… and thus he forgot his father’s words. The rush of freedom pulled him higher and higher, with the sun’s warmth getting dangerously close. As Icarus increased altitude, the wax in his wings softened before dripping away. Eventually the feathers scattered, and Icarus lost control of his flight. Thrill turned into terror, and alas… the boy plummeted into the ocean below to his tragic demise. Today this part of the ocean is called the Icarian Sea in his memory. Daedalus felt both horror and helplessness, having just witnessed his son vanish beneath the waves. This legend is a stark reminder of what happens when caution is swept aside by dangerous exuberance when left unchecked. Icarus as a Warning to the Modern World Fast forward to today and Icarus’s wings feel much closer than ever. The myth has found new life as a metaphor for our era’s bold ventures where we reach for heights once thought of as impossible. Space exploration echoes Icarus’ flight as a big example. When NASA’s Apollo missions landed humans on the moon during 1969, the event embodied the triumph of humanity’s ingenuity. However, notable disasters like the 1986 Challenger explosion remind us about the risks when ambition outpaces caution. The drive to explore distant planets pushes technology to its limits, yet each mission carries the haunting shadow of Icarus’ molten wings. Artificial intelligence offers another parallel warning. As we build systems that mimic human thought, the potential for breakthroughs is staggering. Think of medical diagnostics to autonomous vehicles, or even AI-generated videos as well as deep fakes. With that being said, warnings from experts (like those in a 2023 open letter calling for AI safety protocols) highlight the dangers of unchecked development. Could AI soar too high and give us an Icarian-level mishap that leads to unintended consequences? Who knows. What is known is that the classic myth urges us to pause for a moment… and to weigh the risks. Genetic engineering invites the Icarian comparison too. CRISPR technology is a major example which edits DNA with precision, with the potential to fix and cure genetic diseases. However, CRISPR and designer babies are such controversial topics for they mess with the ethics of what makes us human. The idea of tweaking embryos to pick traits like eye color, height or even intelligence would freak morals out. It’s like we’re playing God, and there’s a real fear it could lead to a world where only the rich get “perfect” kids, widening the gap between the haves and have-nots. Plus, the science isn’t foolproof. Screwing up a gene edit could cause serious health problems that might even last for generations. Then there’s one more ethical issue: babies can’t consent to being edited. Some worry we’re sliding toward a creepy eugenics vibe as a result. It’s like a tug-of-war between hope for curing diseases and dread of a sci-fi dystopia. Human Hubris and Respecting Dangerous Situations At its essence, the flight of Icarus is a cautionary tale about hubris—the dangerous sensation of pride that tempts humans to overstep their limits. Hubris was a grave offense in Ancient Greece as a whole, as it’s a defiance of the natural order that the gods upheld. Icarus’s flight wasn’t just a physical act. It also symbolized a challenge to boundaries set by Nature and wisdom. His fall served as a warning to those who dared too much and
Preparing for the AI Future: Echoes from the Industrial Revolution
Imagine a world where daily life was marked by the clink of a blacksmith’s hammer and the rustle of horse-drawn carts. This was the reality for much of humanity before the late 18th century. Villages relied on farming to survive and most people lived off the land with just enough to get by. The artisan’s workshop was the heart of craftsmanship where each item—whether a hand-forged iron nail or a delicately woven piece of cloth—bore the signature of personal touch and skill. Life was local, slow and connected to the rhythms of nature. Beneath this tranquil surface, though, something remarkable was brewing. Contrary to the traditional timeline, new evidence reveals that Britain was already setting the stage for industrial change long before the 18th century. By the 1600s, the landscape was changing: the number of artisans increased, and manufacturing was taking root in the British countryside. This early drive towards industrialization, marked by the growth of local weavers and metalworkers, laid the foundations of the new era that was to come. Then, in the late 18th century, a whirlwind of transformation began to sweep across Britain. This period, known as the Industrial Revolution, unfolded a drastic makeover in society that forever reshaped human life – paving the way for machinery, innovation and AI. Enter The Industrial Age The Industrial Revolution wasn’t a sudden change but rather the final stage of many smaller changes that had been happening for years. The invention of the steam engine was a breakthrough that symbolized this leap from manual labor to machine-driven efficiency. The steam engine powered factories, transforming industries and enabling mass production that increased output at an increasing rate. This was more than a new way to work; it was a new way to think, stretching the boundaries of what was possible. By the early 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. Factories and steam engines roared to life in Britain, their clatter filling the air as machinery took over tasks once done by hand. The rise of factory production marked the beginning of a new era of industrial might. The artisan’s role, once central to production, became overshadowed by the efficiency of mechanized production. This process allowed for the mass production of goods and made products more affordable all at once. As the revolution gained momentum, its impact spread beyond Britain. Other parts of Europe and the United States began to industrialize, adopting new technologies and production methods. This led to rapid urbanization as people flocked to cities in search of work. However, this urban influx also brought newfound challenges. Cities became crowded, living conditions worsened and stark social inequalities emerged. Factories, while symbols of progress, also became sites of harsh labor conditions with long hours, low wages and dangerous environments becoming too common Rise of the Machines… and Minds Despite these challenges, the Industrial Revolution ignited a wave of movements that sought to reshape society. Labor unions emerged as a powerful force as they advocated for fair wages, safer working conditions and reasonable hours. These unions were forged from the harsh realities of factory life where long miserable hours and dangerous environments were the norm. The tireless efforts of these unions brought about significant changes, improving the lives of workers at a gradual process and setting the stage for future advancements in labor rights. Social reformers also played a crucial role during this period, shining a light on the stark inequalities that had emerged in rapid-growing urban centers. The reformers fought for better housing, sanitation and education, recognizing that industrial progress could not come at the expense of human dignity. These reformers laid the groundwork for the modern social safety nets we see today, ensuring that the march of progress was accompanied by a sense of social responsibility. As the 19th century progressed, the effects of the Industrial Revolution continued to unfold in ways that would have been seen as unimaginable to those people who had lived through it. You see, the steam engines that once powered factories eventually gave birth to an era of incredible technological advancements. Innovations that arose from the age of steam engines soon paved the way for the birth of the digital age—a new era where information flows with free range as steam once did. The principles of efficiency and mechanization that fueled the rise of factories have become the backbone of modern high-tech manufacturing. Fast forward to today in 2024: robotics, artificial intelligence and automation are the cutting-edge frontiers that continue the legacy of progress that first began with the steam engine. The story doesn’t end there, though. For as we move into 2024 and beyond, artificial intelligence stands as the next great leap in this continuum of progress. A Future With Artificial Intelligence Just as the steam engine once redefined the limits of human capability, AI is now poised to do the same. It’s not just about machines taking over manual tasks; it’s about machines thinking, learning and even evolving. The rise of AI represents more than a technological shift—it’s a philosophical one. It forces us to reconsider what it means to be human, to create and to work. As AI begins to shape industries and daily life, we’re standing at the edge of a new revolution, one where the very concept of intelligence is being redefined. The questions we face now echo those of the past: How will this technology change us? What new challenges will emerge? Most of all… how can we ensure that the progress AI brings is balanced with the ethical and social responsibilities that come with it? As we make our first step on this new epoch, let us embrace the possibilities with both curiosity and caution, striving to harness AI’s potential to enrich our lives while guiding its development tempered with wisdom and dignity. Industrial Impacts on Our Planet The Industrial Revolution changed our relationship with the environment in a drastic manner, catalyzing both significant advancements and severe side effects. Rapid industrial growth combined with
Roko’s Basilisk: The Thought Experiment That Could Kill You
Generally speaking, thought experiments are not dangerous. As useful tools for “gaming” out a scenario, they could certainly point to a danger in the future, but they are not traditionally a problem for those who conduct them. Such an idea would, for much of human history, feel ludicrous. But we live in unusual times, and in many ways our grip on reality and the true nature of the universe we perceive are shakier than ever. Sure, we may understand our surroundings with a precision and depth of knowledge greater than at any other point in human history. But all these questions answered just lead to more questions, and as we dig deeper we find that many of our certainties are anything but certain. The 1999 movie blockbuster The Matrix precisely illuminated this situation. Behind its ground breaking effects and all those guns and kung-fu fighting it was positing a very real danger to us: that we are not aware of the reality which surrounds us. It shows us this possibility through many lenses: the character who believes in living a truth even if it is far more menial than the lie, his dark opposite who would rather have pretend riches than reality. But, at that moment at least. The Matrix was a metaphorical world, and the problems it posited were not literally of concern. That is no longer the case. We already know that it is possible to create a virtual world indistinguishable from reality. Simple math tells us that if, say, a million such worlds were created and we were randomly placed into one reality, we would almost certainly be living in a fiction. But what if that fiction is not so benevolent as the one created by the machines of The Matrix? What if those pulling the strings of our virtual reality were not interested in a stable environment but in testing our loyalty to them? And how can we be sure this isn’t what is happening to us right now? To Know of the Basilisk is to Risk Its Gaze Concerns about the reality of what we perceive around us are hardly new. Solipsism is a well established (and mind-bending) branch of philosophy, tackling the fundamental problem that we cannot be sure that anything we perceive is “real” as we are “real”. As Descartes put it: “I think, therefore I am” but his point can be carried forward: do we know if anyone else thinks. In the world of Roko’s Basilisk, at least one other entity is thinking. This creature, named for a forum poster named Roko who first theorized about its existence in 2010 on the technical and philosophical discussion board LessWrong, is also pulling the strings. The original idea came from the concept of an AI being created in the future, which achieves an understanding of the world which led to its creation to a degree never achieved by humanity. Nothing about this is particularly controversial: AI decision making is already beyond human understanding. We may have built these machines but we do not understand how they think. This hyper intelligent AI, looking back at the past and events which led to its coming into being, will be less than sympathetic to those who objected to its creation. In fact, it is likely to conclude that, given its superiority, all those who did not work tirelessly to given birth to this AI were hindering this act of creation. Given the AI believes itself to be benevolent, it prioritizes its own creation over all other activities. It is incentivized to force anyone who can work to bring about its creation to do so, and it is able to do so even before it is created itself. Specifically, it would be able to create a virtual environment for the people it sought to exploit in its own creation. In creating these simulations the Basilisk AI would compel the people inside to work as hard as possible to bring the AI into being, and those who did not comply were tortured. Ther danger of Roko’s Basilisk is that the real people in the simulation might be in it already. They may have been placed in a simulated past, much like that of The Matrix, where they will be obliged to show utter devotion to the creation of this AI or be tortured as punishment. There may be an AI already pulling the strings of our reality. This is the core danger of Roko’s Basilisk. If you are aware of the existence of this AI, or even the possibility, then you are trapped. The only way for the Basilisk to ignore you is if you did not know of its existence in the first place, or even the concept of its existence. Unfortunately, now you do. For, given that we know about the Basilisk and what it is capable of doing, it doesn’t really matter if we are in a virtual reality or not right not, does it? Do we dare run the risk of angering something which controls our very reality? Isn’t it better to work as hard as possible to bring it to life, just in case this is the future and it is testing us. In some ways this is a form of a much older philosophical question, known as “Pascal’s Wager” and named for the 17th century French philosopher who conjured it. Pascal asked whether God existed, and his conclusion was that, whether he did or not, it would be better for us to believe in him just in case. If God didn’t exist and we devoted our lives to believing he did, then nothing much was lost. But if God did exist and we had concluded He didn’t, then we were doomed for eternity. Much better to play it safe. So, are you in a hyper-realistic simulation designed to test your loyalty to a future AI? Are you willing to risk your life by acting with the certainty you are not? Or is
