I suppose the TL;DR is that we are surprisingly incurious and risk-averse? Not exactly news from a certain POV, but I suppose AI does challenge all our complacent assumptions. Probably also dovetails into the whole "$20 on the subway floor" thing.
I think it's just that we've learned that the big ideas fail. Life extension? Maximum human lifespan hasn't improved in centuries. Underwater cities? No reason for them, they will never be practical, and they'd be illegal on environmental grounds if they were. Settlements in space? Again, no reason for them. Everywhere in the reachable universe is more hostile than unsettled places on earth. Maybe we're just right that we've solved all the great questions, except those we will never solve.
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Notes -
I suppose the TL;DR is that we are surprisingly incurious and risk-averse? Not exactly news from a certain POV, but I suppose AI does challenge all our complacent assumptions. Probably also dovetails into the whole "$20 on the subway floor" thing.
I think it's just that we've learned that the big ideas fail. Life extension? Maximum human lifespan hasn't improved in centuries. Underwater cities? No reason for them, they will never be practical, and they'd be illegal on environmental grounds if they were. Settlements in space? Again, no reason for them. Everywhere in the reachable universe is more hostile than unsettled places on earth. Maybe we're just right that we've solved all the great questions, except those we will never solve.
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