Humanity 10.0 E-Book

Andreas Dvorak

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Serie: Humanity 10.0
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 212

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Five simple questions save the world. How is that possible given the multitude of major challenges, facing humanity? In fact, there are not even any adequate solutions for environmental and climate protection in place. For other challenges, not even rudimentary concepts exist in our increasingly complex world. Many people feel that tackling everything is an overwhelming task. »Humanity 10.0« addresses these challenges in a perhaps unexpected way. The simple and flexible approach is suitable for getting people on board to collaborate and to work together to overcome the challenges. We can use our existing knowledge and tools to develop societies in a targeted way. »Humanity 10.0« is no utopia, but a concrete concept to ensure the survival of mankind and to improve the living situation of us humans. Examples will be used to illustrate how »Humanity 10.0« operates. Five questions are the basis for the hope-giving future concept of »Humanity 10.0«. Let us start now!

Leseprobe

Andreas Dvořák

Humanity 10.0

Shaping our future together!

Andreas Dvořák

Humanity 10.0

Shaping our future together!

Copyright © 2022 Andreas Dvořák

Author: Andreas Dvořák

Cover design: Andreas Dvořák

Translation: Jolanta Kremer

ISBN: 978-3-347-70308-7

Printing and distribution on behalf of the author:

tredition GmbH, Halenreie 40-44, 22359 Hamburg, Germany

The complete work, including all its parts is protected by copyright. The author is responsible for the contents. Any use is prohibited without his consent. Publication and distribution are carried out on behalf of the author, who can be reached at:

tredition GmbH, Department "Imprint Service", Halenreie 40-44, 22359 Hamburg, Germany.

Bibliographic information from the German National Library: The German National Library lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data is available at http://dnb.dnb.de.

Preface and acknowledgements

How many stages of development has humanity been through?

How many concepts for the development of our societies already exist?

When will we humans become a true world community?

I have not found the answers to these questions.

Therefore »Humanity 10.0« evolved as a proposal for the further development of humanity towards a randomly chosen level / version 10.0.

This is a book about a future worth living for all people. It is based on us as humans and our ability to ultimately make the right decisions.

Humanity has reached a crossroads. We will only survive if we are able to positively shape the future with common visions and concrete plans.

»Humanity 10.0« is a building block for the future that can help us meet upcoming challenges.

True to the concept of working together to shape the future, several people have already provided helpful feedback on »Humanity 10.0« or collaborated on it.

I would like to thank my family and friends for their cooperation and understanding. Developing the ideas as well as working on the book was time-consuming, time which was almost certainly lacking elsewhere.

My sincere gratitude to everyone who has had a special part. Many thanks to Andrea, Aline, Alexander, Carmen, Heike and Ralf, Karin and Gert, Barbara and Andreas, as well as Jolanta and Edwin, who also translated the book into English and French.

In the hope that the effort was worthwhile - enjoy reading the book!

Table of contents

Five questions and the book

At the beginning

Introduction

Wake up!

2120

The chicken or the egg?

Introduction to the idea

Essential elements

Part 1: What surrounds us

Introduction

Current topics

Current trends

Further issues

Where do we go from here?

Part 2: »Humanity 10.0«

Visions

Goals

Principles

Idea: Innovative values/rating system

Obvious areas of focus

Issues and trends

Procedure per issue/trend

The values/rating system

»Humanity Points« and other values

Different aspects of »Humanity Points«

»Humanity Points« for persons / organisations

Organising »Humanity Points«

Part 3: How does »Humanity 10.0« operate?

Notes on the following examples

Example: Time constants

Example: We humans

Example: Closing social bottlenecks

Example: Social qualifications

Example: Avoiding the “unnecessary”

Summary for the examples

Part 4: Introducing »Humanity 10.0«

Basic considerations

Requirements for the introduction

Introductory steps

Who implements »Humanity 10.0« and how?

Part 5: Motivation

Drivers for change

Positive effects

Benefits for

»Humanity 10.0« self-correction mechanism

Further advantages

Proceeding in the same way?

Part 6: Finally

Summary

Dear reader

See you soon

Appendix

Appendix 1 Detailed description of the values/rating system

List of figures

Five questions and the book

The five questions that are so important for us, are easily formulated.

Is everything that is currently around us and

what should/could/will happen in future, positive or negative for:

• The individual human (you / me)?

• My/our surroundings?

• My/our community?

• The entire environment?

• Humanity as a whole?

The questions arise as common areas of focus for people, regardless of the form of society in which they live. The book provides many ideas and links, however, the most interesting is that based on these five questions, a concept for a better future can be developed.

Most people are interested in the present and the near future and they also remember the past. Thinking about visions, goals, and our future often needs impulses at first. This is the intention of the section "At the Beginning”.

Facts from our environment follow in Part 1, “What surrounds us”. The intention of these is to further introduce the topic and underline the necessity of »Humanity 10.0«. Trends are particularly important. These play a significant role in determining what our future will look like. A future concept can influence trends early on and sustainably for the benefit of people, so that corrections that cannot be avoided become necessary later.

Part 2, »Humanity 10.0«, describes the idea, the approach, and the principles of »Humanity 10.0«. In addition to the visions, goals and principles are defined, which seem particularly important for »Humanity 10.0« and for the development of adaptable societies. In order to achieve the goals and to be able to manage the complexity of a future concept, the development of a simple, universal, and future-proof values / rating system is proposed. This can develop in parallel to everything that already exists. The basic ideas behind this are described but it is up to us humans to develop it in detail. This will require a lot of scientific creativity and a great deal of expertise.

Part 3, “How does »Humanity 10.0« operate?” takes up individual topics from Part 1 “What surrounds us”. It explains how »Humanity 10.0« should be applied and which impacts can be achieved.

The focus of this part is to increase understanding and encourage reflection on the further potential of the concept.

One of the most pressing questions is: How can »Humanity 10.0« be introduced? A plan for the introduction is available in Part 4, “Introducing »Humanity 10.0« “.

As it is not possible to estimate how quickly the ideas will spread, no statement can be made regarding the time frames. If, as intended, an increase in all social forces follows, the efficiency and pace of introduction will increase.

As far as the implementation of ideas and enforcement of change is concerned, many tools and extensive know-how already exist.

Part 5, “Motivation” is intended to further stimulate the desire to think about the future. Here, additional aspects are presented, which illustrate how thinking about the future in the context of »Humanity 10.0« can lead to new ideas.

Furthermore, this part includes the presentation of benefits for various organisations and for us humans.

Part 6, “Finally” includes a summary, remarks, and an outlook.

The appendix includes the “Detailed description of the values/ rating system”, as well as notes on the procedure for the rating of issues.

At the beginning

Introduction

Since the beginning of humanity, the opinions about what we humans can influence have always differed. What can we or cannot we change?

What we consider to be able to effectively influence, is very much dependant on our personal perceptions and character traits.

“Where there is one body, there cannot be another.” This is a simple and recognised concept in physics.

A person can exert influence, for example, by moving a car. If the car is moved to a place where another car is already located, a collision will occur. We understand this and accept it.

There could be other factors playing a role in connection with the accident and collision, such as slippery roads, bad tires, and malfunctioning brakes. We can recognise these factors and take them into account in future.

The driver is not only injured – he dies. What was responsible for his death? Why exactly did this person have to die?

In life, many questions remain unanswered.

When questions remain unanswered, we fill that void with new knowledge, speculations, distraction, hope…or we are at a loss for answers and helpless.

There will always be unanswered questions.

However, there are issues, on which we humans have direct or indirect influence. This book focusses on these issues and knowledge-based information.

The predominantly philosophical aspects relating to the meaning of us as humans and our actual influence do not play a major role.

We humans have been around for approximately two million years and, up to now, we have always adapted or had to adapt to various living conditions.

The right combination of taking short-term action and making longterm change in our behaviour patterns was the key to success.

Nowadays not completely unfounded doubts exist about the (too) short-term actions taken by us humans and goal-oriented strategies for mastering current and future challenges are lacking.

Some people fear this situation, others have ceased thinking about the complexity of the world or do not see a chance to initiate the changes that are necessary.

Currently attempts are being made to compensate for the lack of suitable strategies through increasingly short-term activities. This is not very helpful, because it leads to unrest and insecurity amongst us humans and deprives many of the hope for a future worth living.

But there is also another side; people who are enthusiastically committed to the well-being of all and are optimistic about the future. The current focus is often on improving individual living conditions. In the case of medium- and long-term issues, the focus is on environmental and climate protection.

»Humanity 10.0« aims to convey a vision and provide hope and optimism through a concept for the development of sustainable societies, as well as paving the way towards a future with more satisfaction.

»Humanity 10.0« is based on facts, however the importance of ethical values and differences in perception are, in no way ignored. “Humans” are the focus, but not every subjective perception of reality can be considered.

The best way to deal with reality is to accept it openly and objectively. This includes seeing ourselves as part of the bigger picture and recognising our strengths and weaknesses. Our future depends on the ability to work together and protect our environment.

By incorporating the aspects presented in »Humanity 10.0«, the chances are good that we will be able to rise to the challenges facing us.

»Humanity 10.0« is targeted at everyone.

At families, who are concerned about their children’s future.

At leading organisations and personalities, who must, or rather should, ensure the future of all people.

Progressive organisations and visionaries should be given a platform, in order to be able to combine forces.

»Humanity 10.0« is intended to give hope to the disillusioned and discouraged, as well as the possibility to reorient.

»Humanity 10.0« offers every single person and each organisation chances to further develop.

This book is not a novel, not prose, not a thriller, not an operating instruction manual and not a scientific paper, it is a combination of many things. It somehow combines all the above; also dreams, the possible “happy end” and the suspense of whether it can succeed. Behind many seemingly trivial thoughts, there is a deeper meaning waiting to be discovered.

Ultimately, the book aims to encourage first “intellectual selfattempts” at rating current issues and trends.

Thinking about what the future holds for us all is not something that we do every day, which is why the first chapters of this book are intended as a warming-up phase.

Wake up!

A survey under the heading “Was it better in the old days?” carried out by television channels in about 60 countries, came up with the interesting results.

All survey results are available and can be sorted by various criteria.

The survey was designed for young people, but open to whoever wanted to participate.

There were varying percentages in the different age groups, however the general trend of responses was predominantly the same.

Despite country-specific variations, definite trends showed up in the responses.

Even if the participants did not represent the average of the population groups, 300,000 opinions cannot be so easily ignored.

The future is seen in a more negative light by all (regardless of age) compared to the past or present.

This is concerning and rather sad.

Two thirds of the respondents stated that, “it is true – the generations of our parents and grandparents are responsible for the difficulties of young people today”.

Many parts of the survey showed that action must be taken at long last and that new ideas are needed.

The survey results must make us all sit up and think.

This remarkable survey can be accessed under:

https://www.time-to-question.com/en/results

Figure 1: ARTE 2020 Survey

2120

It is the year 2120.

The supreme body on earth has decided to organise a great anniversary celebration and looks back on the last hundred years. Just recently, a joint effort involving all humans, avatars, and AI (artificial intelligence) managed to avert a catastrophe. Ever since then, all those on earth feel more closely linked with one another, or at least they accept the fact that they only have a future if they join forces.

This tolerant feeling of belonging together is partly the result of painful experiences.

At the anniversary celebration, the most important representatives of the humans, as well as the avatars and AI will hold speeches. All other living beings on earth would probably also have something to say, however, even in the year 2120, communication with animals. plants or less complex creatures has not yet been successfully achieved.

People’s hope that genetic decoding would make it easier to understand why relatively simple creatures survive for millennia and that complex humans are comparatively vulnerable, has proven to be a fallacy.

With the realisation that apart from genes, further, even more complex interrelationships exist, science is basically back at square one.

This discovery and various failures in the manipulation of hereditary material, have at least led to the fact that people stopped producing clones of themselves.

Thus, the focus moved towards the development of avatars. As a combination of AI and human components, these should really be called “cyborgs” (cybernetics organism). Avatars were originally graphic computer figures. The sympathetic portrayal of these human-like beings in the successful 3D film “Avatar” increased their popularity, as well as their significance.

Because the production of individual organs is no longer a major challenge in 2120, the resemblance of avatars to human beings is very high. However, the integrated, complex, and understandable logic of AI determines their actions.

Experiments carried out in order to provide avatars with feelings failed because feelings are difficult to comprehend and sometimes lead to erratic and uncontrollable behaviour. Apart from that, the inclusion of feelings would result in too many different avatars and make production too complex.

Avatars, half human, and half AI, are an important group on earth, endowed with rights and duties.

KI apparatuses and supercomputers manufactured from semiconductors had nothing human about them, thus humans did not initially grant AI any human-like rights. In addition, the centralised learning of AI on supercomputers proved to consume far too much energy, thus limiting the application options.

Decentralised AI, however, resulted in significant progress being made. Thus, individual robots equipped with more and more intelligence were able to act independently.

With the production of individual parts of AI from biological material and the assumption of important functions in the human body, AI also received an appropriate status on earth.

Representatives of humans, avatars and AI are pondering on what could be included in their speeches at the anniversary celebration. Usually anniversaries include jubilant recollections of success stories. This would, however not correspond with the reality in this case and objectivity is one of the most important common rules in 2120.

It was possible to avert the last catastrophe, despite the many differences of opinion in the run-up. The situation was clear, a super volcano was about to erupt. As a result of this rather local event, the earth would have darkened for several years.

Besides enormous problems keeping humans supplied with the basics, some animal and plant species would even have died out.

People very nearly returned to their old ways of thinking, as a result of the approaching “super volcano eruption” catastrophe. A part of the people felt less affected because the volcano was very far away. In some regions, people would have welcomed the cooling effect of the resulting darkening effect. On the other hand, others wanted to counter the cooling in their region with the resulting warming up of the earth. Other solutions to the problem, such as clearing the atmosphere of dust over a large area with “flying vacuum cleaners” after the eruption, were not any more intelligent. Actually, the volcanic eruption and its aftermath did not affect AI and the robots. In fact, they could have rid themselves of the annoying humans and their power if it had not been for the new-fangled agreement to help each other solve problems. Thus “AI” carefully calculated everything and came up with the conclusive decision.

Speaking of which, there was really no such thing as “the AI”.

The nation states had recognized the importance of AI, especially the super computers. These super computers, were well-shielded by the nation-states and provided with logics designed to ensure power and dominance. In special cases “national AIs” worked together. What about the big AI corporations?

As these became too powerful and began to put their profit interests above the welfare of humans, they were crushed. Thus, they were only able to deal with decentralised AI.

What could be the solution for the super volcano eruption now?

In a way, the pressure had to be released from the earth. For this purpose, an exact copy of the earth’s crust was created, including all the magma chambers and exit points of gases and magma. Pressures were measured, material samples taken and ultimately, it was possible to determine where and how best to allow gases and magma to escape, without causing a catastrophe.

Humans were, of course, unsuitable for the work required and avatars were too vulnerable. Thus, AI had thousands of its combat robots converted, which then sacrificed themselves for the benefit of the humans.

There was no shortage of combat robots. The nation states had produced them in large numbers until they realised that this was a pointless arms race. Humans therefore actually wanted to put an end to the arms race. At this point, however, robots were able to develop and produce other robots. AI was no longer dependent on new knowledge coming from humans.

The time felt right to take control of the “illogical” humans. Even more combat robots were developed by AI and produced by other combat robots. The fate of humanity seemed to be sealed.

But what saved the humans?

As the combat robots came into the focus of the public eye, the nation states agreed that that every robot should be equipped with an “emergency stop button”. However, since this is a strategic disadvantage in the case of war, not a single state complied.

Anyway, in many cases, contractual agreements were only in place to pacify the respective populations.

Humans spent centuries developing and building things for their own destruction and by no means always kept to agreements.

For AI it was absolutely clear that this situation would not change in future, which is why AI took over most of the functions of the combat robots developed by humans, without controlling each one. In the meantime, the functions of the robots had become so complex that only a few humans and robots could maintain an overview. In the end, humanity owes its survival to a small group of developers; these had not deactivated the “emergency stop button”, as demanded by their governments, but had kept to the actual contractual regulations.

Thus, the still active “emergency stop button” was involuntarily integrated into all other combat robots. In this way, the combat robots could be made capable of action at the decisive moment and humanity could be saved.

Fortunately, there are always people who will take huge risks for granted, in order to put the well-being of the community before their own.

Perhaps that is why AI got so involved in the imminent super volcanic eruption because it had a “bad conscience”, or rather the humans owed it something. Because intelligent logic also requires that the relation of give and take must be balanced.

When it comes down to it, it is important that the right thing happens and not why it happens.

It is far better to invest energy and resources in the present and future, rather than dwelling on the past.

Establishment of guilt should pave the way for being able to make amends. Something that is good should continue to be something good.

This sounds like plausible logic – or not?

It may sound crazy, but it was only after humans trained AI to be intelligent, did they themselves become intelligent.

AI always pursues neutral, reality-oriented clear logics and humans …well.

A kind of competition arose between AI and humans. The more intelligent AI became, the more humans realised, how ridiculously their actions sometimes were. AI indirectly uncovered their faulty actions for the humans.

This may be the reason why humans are more drawn towards avatars as to AI.

The pleasant avatars, who are like humans, are, in the meantime, all over the earth. They serve humans and take on the more unpleasant tasks and responsibilities.

Even though avatars are free of emotions, many humans are close to them and regard them as friends.

Most avatars are not assigned to just one person but rather to a community. Many tasks are solely carried out by avatars.

Avatars are produced in a decentralised manner, they are, however closely linked to one another by their uniform characteristics and communication. This almost blind understanding is immensely useful.

Wars and other ways of pursuing power have been a major problem for humanity in past decades. The “superpowers” did not comprehend that greatness does not result from power, but from working towards the well-being of people.

Thus, the “superpowers” continually attempted to maintain their supremacy and other states strived to attain the same status. They were even prepared to wage wars, as well as to accept the risks of mass destruction weapons.

People were persuaded that peace could only be secured through deterrence, or even by staging wars. Thus, people were not only manipulated, but nationalism and hatred were also stirred up. Unfortunately, many people did not care, if it did not affect them; others felt somehow helpless.

The avatars played a key role in this situation.

The programming of the avatars is focussed on the well-being of people and the community. Wars and other conflicts pose a threat to people, avatars, and AI.

When warlike conflicts were in the pipeline, the avatars worldwide came to an agreement very quickly and finally put an end to the pointless striving for power.

The avatars of the warmongers and the human rights violators, not only failed to serve their owners, but also ensured they receive a just punishment.

For a short time, the avatars took complete control and thus created a true world community. In this way, the truly important values could be established worldwide.

Would people have been able to come to an all-out agreement in such a short space of time?

People were speechless as to how quickly and sustainably problems can be solved through unity.

Have people fundamentally changed in one hundred years?

No – but there are always solutions to go about dealing with weaknesses in an intelligent manner.

Those who fulfil their responsibility to society and meet the needs of the community can live out their “weaknesses” without social consequences, like envy. The basic conditions, however, are not to harm anyone by one’s own actions, to take full responsibility for them and to bear the consequences oneself.

For example, in the year 2042, the existing car racing tracks were opened for “speeders”, where they can pursue their hobby there using environmentally-friendly vehicles.

As far as the community was concerned, this had many positive results. Traffic flow could be better optimised, without the disruption caused by speeding. The number of traffic accidents decreased.

All other road users simply felt better on the roads.

Does 2120 suddenly represent the “ideal world”? No, it does not.

On the one hand, too many consequences of the past still exist.

The temperatures on earth are still too high. The fight to stop climate change was started too late and was not conducted consistently enough. Plastic and other litter continued to pollute the oceans. Industrial plant production and animal husbandry, as well as the extensive production of chemicals, led to the contamination of even the last remaining resources. As water works its way through soil very slowly,

it will take decades before groundwater is clean again.

On the other hand, several threats exist for which humanity does not yet have adequate backup plans. For some, short-term decisions continue to be more important than long-term strategies.

There are however, several success stories to look back on in the year 2120. Alternative energy production was able to meet almost all the needs of the entire planet. Recycling is no longer just a façade; mountains of waste are the new resources. It is not all good. The crucial thing is however, that people have changed their way of thinking and are focussing on essentials.

For an anniversary celebration, it is just as important to look back enthusiastically at what has been achieved, as to what is on the list of tasks still to be mastered. An anniversary should be an opportunity to look back to the beginning and take stock. Even in the year 2120, historians did not entirely agree, whether the occasion for the celebrations goes back to 2020 or 2021.