Optimism

[Anonymous No.3029052]

I'm drunk. I came in at the last table at the poker tournament tonight and finals are completed. (at least for me) Let's have a scientific optimism thread.

Let's hear your dreams, aspirations, desires, wild fantasies, etc. Haters can hate but the H. sapiens sapiens have shown a tremendous ability to manipulate the laws of nature to its designs, so let's hear it! Let's indulge in everything you've ever wanted or hoped for both yourself and humanity. I feel it's high time /sci/ indulged in some wishful (yet semi-grounded) thinking.

Enough with the religious trolls, enough with homework, enough with vague philosophical threads. Let's hear from the /sci/entists themselves.
>pic related, It's the symbol I've chosen as my far-fetched heraldic crest for the entire human race.

[Anonymous No.3029060]

Go fuck yourself.

[Anonymous No.3029092]

I for one don't like that crest. Entirely too war-like, as well as America-centric.

But capcha was 'hiondis war'.

[Deerp Thought !3PmlUNUKEM No.3029108]

>>3029052
Wish #1. Rossis energy catalyzer works as advertised. Abundant energy for everyone.

Wish #2. Some robotic startup makes a reliable cheapass robot that can marginalize the entire workforce. As in, 75% unemployment by ~2015.

Wish #3. Realizing the situation the goverment(s)/corporation/people implement the free-base-resource economic system whereas citizens are granted free livingspace, food, internet and other base needs. A decent life becomes a human right.

the rest: AI, near-immortality and fully immersive virtual reality/BCI

[Anonymous No.3029112]

I hope for humanity that it will cease. That doesn't mean extinction, I just hope we will be able to get past "human nature" with everything that entails. As a materialist, I don't think there's anything necessary or inevitable about human nature, but rather it's a product of our natural circumstances and evolutionary history. Intelligence and technology provide us a way to escape from the follies with which nature has imbued us.

If there is to be any hope for intelligent life from Earth, we must move beyond the hairless ape stage. That doesn't mean losing all contact with our history or form (future people may well look superficially human with only some cosmetic adjustments), but it means moving beyond the sort of biology that was just good enough for survival and reproduction (as are all evolved creatures).

The foremost barrier in the way of a happy and prosperous future lies within the creature that is man.

[Anonymous No.3029154]

>>3029092
I feel that. However, humans CAN be a belligerent species and I didn't choose the part of the planet it showed... I'd much prefer the "north down" perspective shown by the UN's flag.
>>3029112
I agree. My vision for Earth itself is as a nature preserve. Much like Washington DC for Amerifag/fat children, Earth is visited by everyone in the Anthropic Republic at some point to connect with their evolutionary and cultural roots. Students visit ancient archaeological sites, SCUBA dive to see the coral reefs, and explore the savannah surrounding Olduvai Gorge. Earth would serve as a cultural and natural capital for a human species that has spread throughout the solar system.

That's my moronic dream at least. I still dig the symbol if only because it looks cool and imposing.

[Anonymous No.3029239]

I'll bump about my moronic ideas regarding the Anthropic Republic. Mods can delete this thread if they're offended by my political/scientific sensibilities.
The Anthropic Republic is a social democracy with a fundamentally capitalist economy.
The Anthropic Republic subscribes to a "Swiss" ideal of universal conscription for the sole reason that it engenders a united mentality among all mankind. You were/are in the military of the entire human race because we are ONE species and all humans serve the species as soldiers/medics/sailors/spacers/marines/etc.
We, as a species and species-wide government, have devoted ourselves to the exploration, exploitation, and understanding of the universe around us. To those ends, we have not only an obligation but a duty to push the limits of knowledge, understanding, and physical reach of the human race.
We are a people of laws. We do not torture, we do not malign, we do not denigrate, nor do we subjugate any other sentient being. We, as a species, commit ourselves to knowledge, reason, peace, and the pursuit of justice for all beings.

[Anonymous No.3029289]

>>3029239
>offended
>4chan

wat

[Anonymous No.3029298]

>>3029239
I don't like these ideas so much, particularly the conscription. That's one of the most severe forms of coercion by the State, and when there is no actual imminent need (say from an existential threat) it's similar in some ways to slavery.

My own view is that all intelligent beings deserve respect for their autonomy. You show some inkling of this with the idea that humans shouldn't "subjugate" any "other sentient being" but then why should we subjugate ourselves by imposing a coercive system?

I think a future government for the whole Solar System should, if it exists, remain as minimalistic as possible. Just to provide that people's "negative rights" are respected is enough. Individual societies built around local centres of habitation (planets, moons, stations) should be allowed some autonomy to structure their own societies. This borrows an idea of the American founders that states should be left free to choose many things for themselves so that there would be "experiment" and competition to see which system thrives best.

[Anonymous No.3029299]

>>3029289
One would be overcome by the amount of butthurt exhibited by 4chan posters, even (maybe especially) in /sci/.

Let's hear your dreams, hopes, aspirations, desires, and goals. No need for merely a "wat", let's hear it. Ignore the haters and trolls, let if flow.

[Anonymous No.3029320]

I'd just like to go to more conferences. Best days of my year are coming home after conferences.

[Anonymous No.3029365]

>>3029298
I agree wholeheartedly, but I still like the idea of universal conscription. It's not like we would (hopefully/ideally) have any enemies, it's just military training for everyone. People from all classes (if class really is an issue in the future) must mix during their service time. It also teaches the people to be formidable soldiers in and unto themselves.

The REAL reason for my advocacy of this idea is that the military relies on the people. The military and police forces are intentionally weak, but the people are (thanks to training) a cohesive and powerful force... this makes the government think twice about deploying the military as a domestic police force of any kind. Command and control would be at the local level. Your unit officers would be people from within your neighborhood/colony/whatever that opted for extra training. We would have no generals or admirals, just promising colonels/captains. Every citizen has relatively heavy military weaponry in his/her home and would be a potent force if the government overstepped its bounds. In addition to this, all citizens have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. Every citizen would be trained/educated to be a force in and unto themselves. Rigorous training in logic, the scientific method, critical thinking, civics, and leadership would be core components of everyone's education.

[Anonymous No.3029394]

>>3029320
It's fun to confer (if I may co-opt the noun) with others of like mind and/or occupation, but coming home is always more greatly appreciated when one's been away.

What do you like, specifically, about conferences? What about home is so inviting/comforting? This is a "feel good" thread, let's hear it. Speaking from personal experience, I always enjoyed conferences because they give me hope. There is an entire venue teeming with people of great intelligence an capability. To meet, socialize, and confer with such people gives me not only hope for the future but greater confidence in our species. Popular culture may be filled with 'tards but scientific/professional conferences are filled with competent and educated people. Seeing such concentrations of talented humanity gives me both hope and confidence for our future. Not to mention that I don't feel alone!

[Anonymous No.3029400]

I hope we make contact with an intelligent and surprisingly generous race that enriches us with the bounty of their knowledge and wisdom all for the sake of some company...or even an ally in an intergalactic battle!

Shit, I just want to go to space more than anything. I'll take verifiable proof of intelligent signals on SETI too. That would make my day-NO-MY LIFE!

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3029414]

Wish #1: Human-level AI capable of taking over all jobs humans don't want to do by 2035
Wish #2: Molecular assemblers available by 2040
Wish #3: Robert Zubrin, President-elect of the United States of America
Wish #4: Japan builds space elevator by 2030 (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article4799369.ece))
Wish #5: Longevity extension created and made available to whole world's population (with mandatory sterilization if you accept treatment to stop rapid overpopulation)
Wish #6: Tharsis Aerospace/Solar/Mining succeeds and becomes a multi-billion dollar corporation trying to fix the world's material and energy scarcity by 2035
Wish #7: Technocratic Republic of Sci goes ahead as planned and becomes the world's intellectual powerhouse by 2050.
Wish #8: Terraformation of Mars completed by 2125

[Anonymous No.3029418]

>>3029394
Wow, reading that, I fully realize the deleterious effect that blood alcohol content has on my diction and elocution.

Regardless, let's continue the optimism. I love hearing this! /Sci/entists are not just logical machines, rather we are human beings with their own hopes, dreams, feelings, and desires. Getting to know /sci/ is fascinating.

[Anonymous No.3029432]

>>3029400
I see the exploration/exploitation of the Solar System by humans as a realistic goal for the next century. Thought I find the idea of contact with an ETI unlikely, I fully intend to use my future company and wealth to expand into space.
Mankind will be found in all corners of our known universe; from the asteroids to the methane lakes of titans... you will know mankind by its tenacity, ingenuity, and curiosity.

[Anonymous No.3029451]

Hello OP, what do you mean by "I came in at the last table at the poker tournament tonight"? Is that a good thing? I'm a poker player too and so I'll start with a selfish but realistic wish to make loads of fucking money in the near future. This will also help my family and I could finally afford some higher education to perhaps help the rest of you as well. As for unrealistic wishes, or atleast uncertain, I would really like to see the technological singularity happen within my lifetime (as well as having a long one).

[Anonymous No.3029479]

>>3029414

>Robert Zubrin
>President

AHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3029483]

>>3029479
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAUmFjHxI1c

[Anonymous No.3029487]

>>3029418
Diction? Elocution? We can't actually hear you, op.

I'm optimistic for a extra awesome scientific advancement coming to the public sphere through the leakage of military science documents.

fo' sho' negros. bring it. What do you think the militaries have already discovered?

mfw

[Anonymous No.3029491]

-culture is based around knowledge so when children become adults, they are well versed in matters of maths and mechanics.

-Menial Labor jobs are performed by automated systems.

-most cities are elaborate (above the clouds, in the forest, on mountains, the ocean surface or underwater). Relocating is as simple as finding someone to swap with.

[Anonymous No.3029497]

>>3029491

this

also religious houses of worship are like comedy night clubs with burlesque dancers and without the anal rape of children

[Anonymous No.3029504]

>>3029483

>Implying anyone with such an effeminate voice would be voted into office

Nigga you done went full australian.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3029514]

>>3029504
Your problem. Voting for someone you would like to have a drink with instead of someone that can improve the country.

[Anonymous No.3029518]

Post-scarcity age of food, housing, air, water, entertainment and transport. Colonies throughout the solar system, terraformed moons and planets. A theory of everything leads to Alcubierre Drives, nuclear fusion provides our electricity. The amount of power each person has at their fingertips enables them to live lives of wonder and adventure with vast tracts of land, liquid and space to explore. The games of our time merge with the outdoorsmanship of the future for the greatest recreational experiences we have ever seen. Dull labour is eliminated by mechanization; the only jobs left are done happily. The vast resources available and the enlightened social philosophy of the times lead to a society where anyone can achieve anything, where people go about their lives without being exploited.

A society where the song of life is the song of human solidarity.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3029522]

>>3029518

[Anonymous No.3029526]

>>3029514

That's not the only problem. Him not being a politician would be disconcerting to mass america, among other things.

Basically, this man would never win a presidential election in the united states, ever.

[Anonymous No.3029536]

>>3029518
what's this i hear about huge tracts of land

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3029537]

>>3029526
And the hockey mom from Alaska was at one point a heartbeat from the presidency.

Yeeeeaaaah, America's problem.

[Anonymous No.3029540]

>>3029491
>Menial Labor jobs are performed by automated systems.

When this happens, companies discover that it is still cheaper to use human labour - in countries with loose human rights and ethics.

[Anonymous No.3029546]

>>3029537

I agree, the majority of Americans are idiots. I mean, I probably wouldn't vote for him, albeit for more sophisticated reasons, but what I was trying to point out is that your statement revealed an enormous naivete of America and American politics.

[Anonymous No.3029550]

>>3029540

>>companies

the future will be cooperative

[Anonymous No.3029555]

>>3029550
cooperation is less profitable

[Anonymous No.3029561]

>>3029555
Profitability only applies in scarcity environments

[Anonymous No.3029584]

>>3029561
When companies control the resources, they MAKE them scare. Look at the UK housing market.

[Anonymous No.3029585]

I'm getting good vibes from this thread.

Good job /sci/, keep up the fine work.

[Anonymous No.3029590]

>>3029584
Future technologies will remove this roadblock. See: molecular assemblers, Open Space Movement, asteroid mining

[Anonymous No.3029596]

>>3029584
>Implying this works on a healthy market.

[Anonymous No.3029603]

>>3029596
(Unless the future economic system is massively different) capaitalistic markets are healthiest when there is scarcity of certain important resources, because that is the only way to make a profit.

[Anonymous No.3029608]

Waaaaiiiit a minute.

Op's pic is the symbol of the mirror/bizzaro universe 'Human Empire' from Star Trek. An evil humano-centric govt dedicated to enslaving non-humans throughout the galaxy. Well, I see where OP's wishful thinking comes from.

[Anonymous No.3029609]

>>3029555

Fuck profit, people want to earn a decent living, not give their money to a minority

[Anonymous No.3029611]

>>3029590
When the Internet was in its infancy it was a very "open" movement. Now look who has all the influence: TelCos, Google, Microsoft etc. People will sacrifice freedom for convenience, and for the familiarity of friendly brand name.

[Anonymous No.3029615]

>>3029603
>missing the point
I was arguing that a company cannot create a scarcity unilaterally (in a healthy market).
Also, there's plenty of money to be made in a saturated market, every market is saturated in a healthy market.

[Anonymous No.3029647]

>>3029615
>a company cannot create a scarcity unilaterally (in a healthy market).

Yes they can. Houses are an "open" resource. Why are they so "scarce"?

[Anonymous No.3029671]

>>3029608
Oh laudy laud, we have ourselves a fascist racist right here, yessuh.

[Anonymous No.3029688]

>>3029647
If they are so "open" what is keeping companies from unilaterally building houses and selling them at the high prices they go for.
Oh, that's right. You can't just put a house in the center of London. Hence, it's a scarce recource.

[Anonymous No.3029697]

>>3029647
Location, location, location. Also building a house takes 1000 manhours and a fuckton of natural resources and energy to process and transport them.

[Anonymous No.3029704]

>>3029688
London is not the only place that housing is expensive, housing is pricey everywhere in the country. In fact, houses in the countryside are more expensive despite the fact that there are hardly any buyers and selling a house there takes years. Furthermore there is plenty of vertical space. Space is not the issue. The issue is that the market is being manipulated from the top.

[Anonymous No.3029764]

I've always envisioned an anarcho-capitalist society, where everyone lives in corporation-cities. Basically where you work would be where you live. For example, if you worked at Walmart you would live in a branch of Walmart City, so where you worked would be your social identity instead of country, religion or class. This could increase technological advancement because people would have a stake in the future of the corporation-city. The more advanced and profitable Microsoft became, the nicer your city becomes. For example, invent a new type of drug, and Pfizer gives you a swimming pool. that way, a corporation's profit would be connected to your profit as well, encouraging hard work towards technological advancement. These societies would be completely voluntary, and competition would keep one corporation-city from becoming too powerful.

Everything would privatized, and people's bodies would be sovereign. This means no regulation on drugs an sex, but no regulation on types of genetic engineering or cyborgization. People would be free to customize and improve themselves to an unlimited extent, hopefully enhancing the intelligence and productivity of the populace. people would be hyper-individualistic, and focused toward improving their life and reaching their goals. Everything would be contractual, including the employment by the corporation-cities.

[Anonymous No.3029771]

>>3029704
So what's stopping someone from starting their own business and selling houses dirt cheap for a dime a dozen?

[Anonymous No.3029776]

>>3029764
What's to stop those with power setting up protection rackets?

[Anonymous No.3029778]

>>3029771
That's what I'd like to know. It isn't any more expensive to build a house in the UK than it is to build a house in Bulgaria, with the exception of local taxes.

[Anonymous No.3029796]

>>3029764
Corporations are focused on profit and profit is only meaningful when resources are scarce. It's nice that there's no coercive State in your future (an improvement over other speculations ITT), but people eventually would just abandon the corporation-cities to do their own thing. What would make these corporations special so that people would stick with them? Would they have a lot of money? Money to buy what? They'd reward you with a swimming pool? How about instead I just get my own swimming pool, or even create enough swimming pools for everyone to have one, just because I feel like it?

[Anonymous No.3029828]

>>3029778
And cost of labor, construction materials and land value

[Anonymous No.3029835]

>>3029796
Well, capital is one thing. There's nothing to stop you from forming you own city, but you'll have to save up. And you would still make a monetary profit, you could still buy things that you want. The swimming pool example was a benefit of living in a corporation-city. For example, we pay taxes to improve parks and government-funded recreation. People in the future would presumably still want parks and such, but instead of paying with taxes, we would get rewarded for improving or inventing products. Record sales year? Build a man-made lake. This would allow people to take pride in their community and their place of work at the same time.

[Anonymous No.3029841]

>>3029828
>cost of labor, construction materials
EU bro. I'll just import that shit from Bulgaria.

>land value
Land is pretty cheap anyway.

[Anonymous No.3029857]

Better example would be something like music or books instead of houses.
Once those things are created they can be given out with practically no cost.
Or light bulbs, they could be made to last but profits would be lower, so instead they design them to break.

[Anonymous No.3029893]

What's wrong with profit? Maybe some evil corporations are willing to murder baby seals for profit but that doesn't mean there is anything inherently wrong with profit. Osama breathed air but that doesn't mean air is evil.

[Anonymous No.3029921]

>>3029893
Osama used profits to fund his terrorism.