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Lately, I’ve been in the mood to read recently-published business self-help books. One thing that surprised me was that three of the books had a common premise.

by afpx 8y ago

Lately, I’ve been in the mood to read recently-published business self-help books. One thing that surprised me was that three of the books had a common premise. They began by describing the habits of some of the most notable people in history (scientists, artists, business people, etc). Then, they went on to say how these habits would be necessary to maintain a job in the new globalized marketplace. Wait, what? So, anyone who wants to have a job in the near-future must emulate the habits of some of the most impressive people in history? Wow. I don’t know if this premise is true or just marketing hyperbole. But, if that’s what workers think is required of them, we are in for a scary future.

stcredzero 8y ago
Wait, what? So, anyone who wants to have a job must emulate the habits of some of the most impressive people in history? Wow. Isn't that how a lot of human progress works? The scientific viewpoint was once a pastime of educated elites. Now the world model derived from it is very much mainstream. (Though it isn't 100% universal) Reading, writing, and arithmetic were once elite and esoteric specialist skills, now they are basic requirements. Mercy, humanitarianism, and individual rights are all fairly recent innovations in human history. I don’t know if that’s true or hyperbole, but if that’s what workers think, we are in for a scary future. Or a fantastic one.
- petra 8y ago
  Viewpoints and skills are teachable, although that can take a lot of effort. But habits ? depending on what habits are we talking about, some are highly related to personality, to willpower, to interpersonal skills,etc and those are really hard to change, or maybe impossible, for some. And if aim so high in changing human beings, is this the best we can do ? to create better money making machines ? And what will that do to our old values - stuff like kindness, family values, creativity for it's own sake ? And will it even work ? Or is being an Elon Musk copy will just become a requirement for working as a barista ?
  - stcredzero 8y ago
    is this the best we can do? to create better money making machines? Of course not. The best AI we could possibly create wouldn't be a paperclip optimizer. Presumably, there could be another AI who would realize and say, Let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place. And what will that do to our old values - stuff like kindness, family values, creativity for it's own sake? Actually, that's also along the lines of not being a paperclip optimizer. Some people are way too obsessed with sex. There will always be others who will realize that's a bit imbalanced, and decide not to be like that. There will always be people who ask, "Is that all? Is there nothing more?" That, or we'll die out sooner than we should. In other words, if the human mind is really that bounded and limited, some problem of our own making is going to kill us off. Or is being an Elon Musk copy will just become a requirement for working as a barista ? Didn't being a [famous hacker here] clone become a requirement for working as a programmer in the Bay Area? Aren't there towns where all of the baristas have scripts they're working on?

by afpx 8y ago

stcredzero 8y ago

Wait, what? So, anyone who wants to have a job must emulate the habits of some of the most impressive people in history? Wow. Isn't that how a lot of human progress works? The scientific viewpoint was once a pastime of educated elites. Now the world model derived from it is very much mainstream. (Though it isn't 100% universal) Reading, writing, and arithmetic were once elite and esoteric specialist skills, now they are basic requirements. Mercy, humanitarianism, and individual rights are all fairly recent innovations in human history. I don’t know if that’s true or hyperbole, but if that’s what workers think, we are in for a scary future. Or a fantastic one.

petra 8y ago
Viewpoints and skills are teachable, although that can take a lot of effort. But habits ? depending on what habits are we talking about, some are highly related to personality, to willpower, to interpersonal skills,etc and those are really hard to change, or maybe impossible, for some. And if aim so high in changing human beings, is this the best we can do ? to create better money making machines ? And what will that do to our old values - stuff like kindness, family values, creativity for it's own sake ? And will it even work ? Or is being an Elon Musk copy will just become a requirement for working as a barista ?
- stcredzero 8y ago
  is this the best we can do? to create better money making machines? Of course not. The best AI we could possibly create wouldn't be a paperclip optimizer. Presumably, there could be another AI who would realize and say, Let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place. And what will that do to our old values - stuff like kindness, family values, creativity for it's own sake? Actually, that's also along the lines of not being a paperclip optimizer. Some people are way too obsessed with sex. There will always be others who will realize that's a bit imbalanced, and decide not to be like that. There will always be people who ask, "Is that all? Is there nothing more?" That, or we'll die out sooner than we should. In other words, if the human mind is really that bounded and limited, some problem of our own making is going to kill us off. Or is being an Elon Musk copy will just become a requirement for working as a barista ? Didn't being a [famous hacker here] clone become a requirement for working as a programmer in the Bay Area? Aren't there towns where all of the baristas have scripts they're working on?