I did most certainly notice your paraphrasing of Nietzsche and its relevance. Also, having read Yuval Noah Harari's 'Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow' (2016) about 6 or 7 years ago, I have reread it on the basis of this thread discussion. It has given me a lot to think about and I am seeking to focus it on the topic of free will, even though the discussion of artificial intelligence is interrelated.

A lot seems to have happened in the world since 2016, including the pandemic and large scale wars. If anything, I am wondering if a lot of what is being seen is to do with the biotechnical, or transhuman agenda. My worst fear is that what may be happening in the world is bound up with a strategic attempt to reduce the population globally. This would be connected to the attempt to upgrade humans, mainly the elite, into symbolic 'gods'. The increasing division between the rich and poor would suggest this in an alarming way.

But, back on track with the topic of free will, one interesting parallel is ideas of freedom in libertarianism and its philosophy. He suggests that such philosophy has been challenged by neuroscience. One key argument, which corresponds with your own view, is the emphasis upon intelligence as opposed to consciousness. He suggests that intelligence is more important than consciousness in the larger scheme, with consciousness being 'optional'.

His argument culminates in the idea of dataism. This seems to suggest that information is more important than experience. What seems lacking is any central purpose if consciousness of embodied existence ceases to exist. Of course, it may exist for those sentient beings and humans who continue to exist, but that makes it extremely elitist politically.

As @Athena suggests pain is bound up with sentience and consciousness. The idea of information as the goal seems a little bit pointless, although I am seeing it from the human perspective as opposed to that of a god. But what is the point of a disembodied 'god'?

Nevertheless, Harari does suggest that the shape of artificial intelligence is not deterministic. So what may be important is human thinking in shaping it. One aspect which he points to is how human will may be changed in the engineering of humans in the future. This involves the engineering of desire itself. What happens here is critical and the basic philosophical principles on which this is crafted. If what Harari is saying is an accurate reflection of what is happening, humanity is at an extremely critical crossroads of choice.

:up: