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As a layperson, I have almost no idea what any of this means. > HARC’s mission is to ensure human wisdom exceeds human power, by inventing and freely sharing i

As a layperson, I have almost no idea what any of this means. > HARC’s mission is to ensure human wisdom exceeds human power, by inventing and freely sharing ideas and technology that allow all humans to see further and understand more deeply. Isn't this what the internet is for? What's new? > Our shared vision of technology combines an expansive long-term view with a strong moral sense. We look to the distant past as well as the far future. We reject the artificial boundaries created between the humanities, arts, and sciences. We don’t always agree on what is good or evil, right or wrong, but we use these words seriously and are driven by them. This is so vague I have no idea how you can attach any meaning to it. > We are focusing on areas where we believe the structures created today will have the most impact on the future, and that can most benefit from having dedicated resources outside the for-profit world. At the moment, these areas include programming languages, interfaces, education, and virtual reality. So you're gathering a group of smart people together to do non-profit research in a few select fields with the goal of improving humanity?

angersock 10y ago
I too am a little puzzled. Is there anything more to this than peacocking to show how visionary the YC folks are?
gordon_freeman 10y ago
Sam Altman is becoming the best friend of Elon Musk to save the humanity from whatever x,y,z. :)
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
abiox 10y ago
> Isn't this what the internet is for? What's new? hmm, possibly. here i was thinking it was for porn, cat videos, science paper paywalls and ransomware distribution.
mflindell 10y ago
The point is to make less laypeople
yzmtf2008 10y ago
It's because the ways to put computing talents into good use are not limited to, you know, "startups".
joslin01 10y ago
> Isn't this what the internet is for? What's new? Take a step back and remember the internet was an invention too. How can we make a better internet or radicalize communication in another form? What is a browser anyway? Are screens the ideal medium? Also, it's a bit silly to ask "what's new?" out of a research center's vision statement. > This is so vague I have no idea how you can attach any meaning to it. Think about VR. Let's say they research how to make it super addicting to play in your own little fantasy. This ends up leading to "VR abuse" and kids stop talking to one another, etc... It is very important for them to understand how potential inventions will affect humanity if their goal is to improve humanity. > So you're gathering a group of smart people together to do non-profit research in a few select fields with the goal of improving humanity? Yes you summarized his aims. Those select fields are seen as having the most efficacy upon human improvement. Since you admit to having no idea what any of it means, I would suggest you try to look beyond the words and not be so eager to extract tangible simple facts. This is a vision statement and it's abstract because forward-looking mental vision is abstract in nature.
shadowfiend 10y ago
> What's new? http://worrydream.com/MediaForThinkingTheUnthinkable/ http://worrydream.com/MediaForThinkingTheUnthinkable/ is probably a good starting point for what is yet to be done regarding seeing further and understanding more deeply. > This is so vague I have no idea how you can attach any meaning to it. Are you concerned that this isn't externally measurable? I don't think it's meant to be. > So you're gathering a group of smart people together to do non-profit research in a few select fields with the goal of improving humanity? Well, as a layperson it seems like you figured out exactly what all of this meant...
MaysonL 10y ago
Spend some time reading the output of VPRI - writings at vpri.org for some indication of some of their directions. Also view some of the videos on Yoshiki Ohshima's Youtube channel for some of the philosophy (he's one of the PI's [Principal Investigatore - head researcher] at this new organization). https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdJ2NwjI8LcgyvfU7PyaVA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdJ2NwjI8LcgyvfU7PyaVA

angersock 10y ago

I too am a little puzzled. Is there anything more to this than peacocking to show how visionary the YC folks are?

gordon_freeman 10y ago

Sam Altman is becoming the best friend of Elon Musk to save the humanity from whatever x,y,z. :)

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

abiox 10y ago

> Isn't this what the internet is for? What's new? hmm, possibly. here i was thinking it was for porn, cat videos, science paper paywalls and ransomware distribution.

mflindell 10y ago

The point is to make less laypeople

yzmtf2008 10y ago

It's because the ways to put computing talents into good use are not limited to, you know, "startups".

joslin01 10y ago

> Isn't this what the internet is for? What's new? Take a step back and remember the internet was an invention too. How can we make a better internet or radicalize communication in another form? What is a browser anyway? Are screens the ideal medium? Also, it's a bit silly to ask "what's new?" out of a research center's vision statement. > This is so vague I have no idea how you can attach any meaning to it. Think about VR. Let's say they research how to make it super addicting to play in your own little fantasy. This ends up leading to "VR abuse" and kids stop talking to one another, etc... It is very important for them to understand how potential inventions will affect humanity if their goal is to improve humanity. > So you're gathering a group of smart people together to do non-profit research in a few select fields with the goal of improving humanity? Yes you summarized his aims. Those select fields are seen as having the most efficacy upon human improvement. Since you admit to having no idea what any of it means, I would suggest you try to look beyond the words and not be so eager to extract tangible simple facts. This is a vision statement and it's abstract because forward-looking mental vision is abstract in nature.

shadowfiend 10y ago

> What's new? http://worrydream.com/MediaForThinkingTheUnthinkable/ http://worrydream.com/MediaForThinkingTheUnthinkable/ is probably a good starting point for what is yet to be done regarding seeing further and understanding more deeply. > This is so vague I have no idea how you can attach any meaning to it. Are you concerned that this isn't externally measurable? I don't think it's meant to be. > So you're gathering a group of smart people together to do non-profit research in a few select fields with the goal of improving humanity? Well, as a layperson it seems like you figured out exactly what all of this meant...

MaysonL 10y ago

Spend some time reading the output of VPRI - writings at vpri.org for some indication of some of their directions. Also view some of the videos on Yoshiki Ohshima's Youtube channel for some of the philosophy (he's one of the PI's [Principal Investigatore - head researcher] at this new organization). https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdJ2NwjI8LcgyvfU7PyaVA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdJ2NwjI8LcgyvfU7PyaVA