Techno-Optimism Vs. Nature
One of the ironies of the Techno-Optimist Manifesto is that it shows the technorati don't understand the role of technology, nature and humanity. And more...
In October of 2023, Silicon Valley venture capitalist and admitted Techno-Optimist or technorati elite, Marc Andreeson, released his manifesto. It has been deeply criticized and analysed. I myself wrote a rebuttal. A topic one of my readers and subscribers pointed out was around nature and the views of Techno-Optimism. In this article I explore this aspect in more detail.
First I will quickly summarise the ideology of Techno-Optimists (that may best be described under the heading of Transhumanism [not to be confused with transgender, totally different thing]), then explore why they are seemingly opposed to nature, why it’s helpful to understand their viewpoints and what this means in the longer term of humanity and nature.
“ Humankind is out of nature, but hopelessly in it”
— Ernst Becker, Anthropologist
What is Techno-Optimism?
Essentially, it is part of what we call in anthropology a Revitalisation Movement. The idea of which was posited by anthropologist Anthony Wallace in the mid 1950s. It is essentially, a way to describe how cultures change themselves, primarily seen through a religious lens. Techno-Optimism tend towards atheism, although in many ways, atheism bears many aspects of religion.
Techno-Optimists hold the view, as with transhumanism, that via technologies, humans can evolve from where we are today. To live forever, to rise above what they see as biological weaknesses imposed by nature. This includes genetic engineering to do things like eliminate diseases impacting us and other technologies to extend our lives, like growing human organs in incubators and uploading our minds to a computer.
There are some noble ideas within this movement and some very smart thinkers. As with any revitalization movement, they also tend towards extreme views. Similar revitalization movements in the world today are Evangelical Christians, Islamic Fundamentalism and Extreme Hinduism. Transhumanism isn’t anywhere near as radical as these ideologies. Yet.
Nature and Techno-Optimism
Andreeson makes a few references to nature in his manifesto that are common threads in the transhumanist movement’s ideology. Such as human control over nature is our birthright, that nature is waiting to kill us (it isn’t waiting for anything), that technology can solve any problems with nature and that we can, through technology, overcome nature.
First of all, techno-optimists don’t quite seem to understand where technology comes from or how it’s made. Technology is the result of human imagination. Human imagination comes from our minds, consciousness and intelligence (whatever those are, because we still don’t know) so technologies arise from nature. Technologies are created from natural resources, which is, yes, nature. Silicon is made from sand. Sand comes from natural erosion. And so on with all the magical components making the guts of the device on which you are reading this article.
Humans, well, at least us Homo Sapiens types, have expended a lot of brain power and time trying to separate ourselves from the undeniable fact that we are animals. We are primates. This is well explored by the brilliant Canadian author and philosopher Melanie Challenger in her seminal work “How to Be Animal.”
Why Techno-Optimism Disregards Nature
One possible theory is that Tech-Optimists seem to think nature represents weakness and something to be fought against by humans. This comes down to one word; fear. When humans are confronted with something we do not understand or feel as threatening we either run away or we attack it. Flight or fight.
“…(we are trapped) in a material fleshy casing that is alien…in many ways the strangest and most repugnant way being that it aches and bleeds and will decay and die” — Ernst Becker, Anthropologist
Nature it would seem, to Techno-Optimists, is an existential threat to human survival. This of course, ignores the fact that humans and our ancestors, have spent more time living in harmony with nature than in opposition to it. Some cultures still do. Techno-Optimists see these cultures as primitive. A very Western European colonialist philosophy.
One does not seek to dominate something they aren’t afraid of. When social groups fear something or see it as a threat, they tend to rally closer, circle the wagons and prepare to fight. Part of the reason to the Techno-Optimism manifesto is because this is a social group that is afraid. Of losing power and influence and wealth, among other things.
Humans can only survive within a limited confine of land without certain technologies. And technology enables to explore space and the depths of our oceans, to climb the highest peaks and live longer. It is wonderful. But technology doesn’t need to destroy nature to be of value to humanity.
In the discourse of Andreeson’s manifesto there is a lot of fear. On the one hand, Andreeson says they believe in not playing God, or perhaps, gods. Maybe gods is okay? But the very fear of nature, the desire to wrestle it, own it, control it, is inherently a god-like act.
Techno-Optimism sees the resources of our planet as infinite. That somehow, just when we think the oil is running out, or the sand and rare minerals, we will find more. Yet many of these Techno-Optimists are invested in space mining and getting humans off the planet. If our planet has infinite resources, then why are they into space mining?
The Reality of Nature and Techno-Optimism
The overall manifesto would likely get a B+ in a high-school essay contest. It would not survive well in a first-year philosophy class in university, but then, Techno-Optimists have a disdain for anything academic or for the humanities in general.
The reality is, as scientists are learning, including physicists, biologists and chemists, that nature is far more complex than we thought before. We continue to see the human body evolve and we find more about our planet that we didn’t understand even a decade ago.
Technology plays a vital role in helping us understand and discover. Technology is fundamental and intrinsic to the survival of our species.
What I believe we are beginning to fathom, however, is that when humans work harmoniously with nature and technology, our chances of evolving become even greater. Look at what we are discovering about fungi or that wood actually makes for better skyscrapers. Working with nature, we unravelled DNA and expanded the field of genetic engineering. This is not the mastery of nature, it is working with nature.
Techno-Optimism and its ideology expressed through this manifesto is absolutist and throughout history, human cultures always end up rejecting absolutism. It’s just, well, in our nature.
It is inherently ironic that Techno-Optimists don’t seem to understand where technology comes from, how humanity actually uses it and what it means to us. It’s a sort of tilting-at-windmills sort of thing.