Flashes from the Future (Exponential Times) Read online

  Among the many systems studied by the virtual beings to prevent death, the most effective is definitely a backup of the individual, generated every two days. It is kept safely in a certified institute and ready to be activated in case of death. Nevertheless this is not absolutely safe. It is sufficient to recall the terrorist attack against the population of Net Heaven and its backups carried out a few years ago. Luckily, cases like this are rare.

  Human death does not represent the drama it used to be. However it remains a moment of physical and psychological pain. For this reason, the population is gradually educated, instilling the conviction that death is only a transition. So children learn they will keep on living in a new world, the ‘heaven’, and the old are comforted by the idea of meeting children and grandchildren again in the virtual reality.

  The rebirth is a shock too, especially when death arrives suddenly. Most people, with the psychologists' help, the new companions' solidarity and the relatives’ visits, sooner or later adapt themselves to the new situation, but in a few cases the recovery is achieved only thanks to software updates.

  COHABITATION

  The progress of the human race in the last century has been amazing. The Earth has become a kind of Garden of Eden, the genetic code has been reprogrammed to reach thousands of years and hard work is entrusted to machines and robots. With the mind digitization, humanity has taken possession of the afterlife, shifting real death to an indeterminate future. Definitely, humanity owns what it was dreaming of for thousands of years.

  But this is also a moment of reflection. The body is unsuited to future challenges because it has been built by natural selection for quite different purposes. Genetic engineering, nanotechnology, the artificial prosthesis and the integration with Net can be very helpful, but it is clear that the biological component, even if substantially modified and limited to the bare minimum by the progressive transformation of the human being into cyborg, is going to remain a weakness.

  Men both admire and envy the virtual beings. They feel inferior and very angry. Certainly, after death, that technology has definitely not canceled, but postponed to an undetermined future, they will join the digital community, but meanwhile they must face their own limits even as enhanced beings and confront those who seem to have none.

  The relationship between the two races became embittered during the 21st century, when humankind refused the request of virtual people to share the material world. It was evident that Net people would rapidly take possession of the power and privileges of the human race. Tension grew to such an extent that a conflict with ruinous effects, became a possibility.

  The losers were going to be the humans for sure, as shown by some outrages against Net. In a few hours, the digital beings identified the culprits, seized some Police’s advanced fight androids and wiped out the attackers. Everything while the humans were just starting their investigations. Since then the crimes against Net have decrease sharply, thanks to the effective work of prevention and repression by the digital beings, that do not hesitate to take possession of war equipment every time they deem necessary. The humans’ impotence in front of these seizures, make think that the whole information system of the Earth and consequently almost everything the human beings own, is actually mastered by Net, and that this last is ready to use them in case of aggression.

  Humans and virtual beings entrusted the search for a solution to a committee which after a year, suggested handing over Mars to the digital creatures, in exchange for the waiver of rights over the Earth. Although aware of the difficulties - Mars is not a favorable environment even for androids and robots - the virtual beings agreed to the proposal, obtaining in addition considerable autonomy.

  Right after, they started the colonization. But the main objective, even if not declared, remained the Earth. They knew time was in their favor. In less than a century, increasing in number and economic strength, they would turn the political balance to their advantage. The more and more numerous souls would speed up the process, opening breaches in the terrestrial party, thanks to their strong ties. Inevitably, Net people would take possession of the Earth, without any resistance.

  But in the last decades of the 21st century, the digital beings started questioning if it really made sense to seize the Earth, according to ethical considerations - the respect for diversity and their own origins - but most of all because their objectives were changing.

  During the Martian experiment, a real success, they developed the technologies and the expertise necessary for the extraterrestrial environments, but above all acquired the self-confidence indispensable for a further step: the colonization of other star systems. The scale of the project did not worry its supporters because during their existence, destined to last for thousands of years, they could follow its realization to a great extent. In 2080, with the presentation of the Alpha Centauri project to the federal government, the Martians gave up the idea of expanding on the Earth. The project consisted in establishing a colony of virtual beings, both artificial intelligences and souls, on Alpha Centauri.

  Today peace is a reality. But the human being is not happy. He is no longer the driving force of progress. For sure he cannot compete with the superintelligences. And he cannot benefit to a large extent from many of the achievements of the virtual people, because they are mostly unsuitable for the human species. Notwithstanding the integration with super intelligences has expanded his capabilities, he feels the dumb terminal of a system transcending him.

  For humans, result of millions of years of evolution on the Earth, the space colonization will be hard mainly for his biological component. Space is clearly destined to superintelligences. Unavoidably humanity will end up secluded on the Earth and on a few planets of the solar system, as in a wildlife reserve, this is almost certain. But most of all humankind is dissatisfied with its own nature: why spend thousands of years in such an imperfect body, when it would be possible to live the entire existence with almost no limits?

  An emergent movement maintains that the law permitting the mind digitization only after death, is incompatible with free will and self-fulfillment, and proposes its abrogation.

  According to its supporters, the justification of the law - families deprived of affection and means of support, society itself deprived of resources fundamental to its development – is no longer valid. The souls could live in the real world with their loved ones, in androids so perfect as to be indistinguishable from the originals. The virtual reality would allow even more effective relationships than the traditional ones.

  The proposal meets with strong opposition. The truth is that the problem is no longer technical, but only a matter of will. Now more than ever, humans fear the consequences of the spread of the digital people on Earth. They are aware of the fundamental differences between the two races, their incompatibilities and clash of interests, often because they have experienced them personally. Inevitably cohabitation would increase tension to a danger point.

  Nevertheless a solution exists. A drastic but final one: the digitization of all the humans, with the exception of the conscientious objectors. No more differences between races, no more friction. But also the end of humankind. The transformation would be taken on by the state, and would be executed in the shortest time, to avoid discrimination and conflicts.

  This idea has deeply divided the population. Some have no doubts: giving up one’s own humanity is an act against nature that must be forbidden. Others wonder if digitization belongs to a divine plan. A large part of the population focuses only on the practical aspects.

  Contrary to the past, the end of the humans depends today only on a decision of humankind. Maybe the moment when a whole race will converge in long lines at the digitization centers, is nearer than expected.

  DIFFERENCES

  In the virtual world, as in the human one, you can meet men, women and children. Be careful: their appearance is deceiving. It is only a covering that Net beings change at will. Under such varied lo
oks, very similar individuals live.

  No sexual differences exist among them. Procreation can be achieved with anybody else, and several individuals can give their contribution simultaneously, sometimes in dozens, as it happens in certain begetting meetings.

  Physical and intellectual development is very fast. During conception, the new being receives part of the parents’ culture and memories. At birth, he possesses most of the maturity and experience of the grown-ups, and is linked by a close bond of affection with the preceding generations. Growth takes place in the time needed for the installation of programs, as for both intellectual and physical characteristics. Learning is obtained in the same way. Therefore a few days after procreation, the new being enters the world of the adults.

  As a consequence, the family as known to humans, a small and stable environment able to guide the children along the road towards autonomy, does not exist in Net. Instead blood ties are so strong that immediately after birth, the new being feels an intense desire to meet his predecessors. For this reason relatives often form communities of hundreds of individuals.

  Human reality is quite different. Although nature has assigned the task of procreation to the heterosexual couple for millions of years, in the 21st century much has changed. Today fertilization is usually preceded by genetic improvements and is made nearly always in vitro.

  Gestation takes place in an artificial womb, usually at specialized centers, and in a few cases still in the female body. As in the past, the development lasts several years, during which the new creature receives uninterrupted care, both in terms of physical support and education and psychological services.

  After millennia, the traditional family based on the heterosexual couple, has lost its central role in child care. Human-android and human-virtual being couples, as well as homosexual ones perform a similar function.

  However their overall contribution is quite small. The real defender of the survival of the species is the state. It couldn’t be otherwise, since most of the population doesn’t take on the responsibility of bringing up the new generations.

  The state plans the birth of the individuals necessary to maintain the demographic balance and follows their development until adulthood, often by artificial means even more effective than traditional ones. As for the psychological growth based on the child-parent relationship, the utilization of androids with parental characteristics is a well-established practice as an alternative to humans. Virtual reality interaction is also fundamental. Moreover genetic engineering makes it possible to solve some limitations of youthful brains and neural chips increase memory and intelligence by connecting minds with artificial intelligence programs and data banks.

  The rapid loss of importance of the traditional couple in child care, has disrupted the bonds among relatives, in particular between parents and children. Of course they still exist, but are much weaker.

  On the contrary the couple by itself is not at all in crisis. The flourishing of many new kinds is an obvious demonstration.

  No wonder however: the needs that in the past decreed the success of the traditional couple are deeply engraved on society and even in the genetic code. First of all the exclusive bond of affection between two individuals, so essential for any couple’s stability. A feeling that can be reproduced effectively even in an artificial partner.

  FAITHS

  In the past afterlife was just a tenet. Some religions described worlds of utter bliss and inconceivable punishments, others supported rebirth as new beings. Some believed the final destination had to be decided by God, others that it was the result of the laws of Nature. Almost all agreed upon the ultimate purpose of existence: reaching the Supreme Being.

  Many faiths died out with the civilizations in which they had developed, but some of them passed the test of time and continued thriving for millennia. They adjusted to the new environment learning to manage it and developing into complex organizations that made an important contribution to progress.

  With the soul digitization, the religions of the Earth went through a dramatic crisis and a few Cassandras announced their end. However, almost simultaneously, mystical thrills started running through Net. From the very beginning, this phenomenon drew much attention, because the virtual population had begun an extraordinary growth, and those first signs indicated a huge potential of followers.

  For the churches, it was an opportunity to grasp straight away. They got rid of anachronisms, revised their mission, priorities and strategies. Their structure was not downsized, contrary to detractors’ expectations, but profoundly reorganized. Above all, they became vital and competitive again. When they threw themselves into the fray, conversions began slowly, but very soon their growth spiraled. So the virtual world, which in taking possession of the afterlife, had triggered an unprecedented crisis of religions, was now promoting their incredible development.

  Actually the experts had forecasted churches would survive. Their message is clear: they propose an afterworld, but also models for life. They provide material and spiritual assistance, intervening in the areas neglected by the other institutions. They succeed thanks to the abundance of means and to their experience. But the first reason for their success, is that they are strongly motivated.

  For their part, many virtual beings believe most of the life models proposed by Net are superficial. They can be mystical and tenacious, fond of big ideas and carry out a millenary plan, exactly as religions do. They have postponed their deaths to a distant future, but have not found the definite solution yet. So they wonder, as humankind did in the past, what to expect.

  THE LAWS

  Truth, collaboration, responsibility and utility generated over the centuries opposing philosophical and social systems. While religions favored collaboration, the economic leaders ranked utility in top position and the dictatorships assigned the last place to truth.

  At the beginning of the 21st century, the world was still ruled by laws inherited by an anachronistic past. This had contributed to the development of societies, that, even considering themselves advanced, were still dominated by social conflicts and were hardly able to progress.

  It was already a period of great changes. The fast extension of life made think that in a few decades humanity was going to reach semi-immortality. Artificial intelligence, biotechnologies and genetic enhancement, tools with a boundless power, were almost at hand. In this continuously changing environment, scholars started to study how to reformulate the laws to draw the greatest benefit.

  The initiative was taken by enlightened minorities. New rules were defined; most of them compatible with the laws of the existing societies, but anticipating their directions. The voluntary participation generated a strong identification. The sharing of values became the real glue and Net the tool to cancel geographic borders and nationalisms.

  The new laws minimized the judges’ discretion and, through the application of penalties culminating in the expulsion from the community, removed the social conflicts. Judging became marginal, the trust in the institutions triumphed.

  The search for a suitable hierarchy of values (ILabs https://www.ilabs.it/Home.asp )

  Truth, the correct description of reality, a prerequisite for scientific, technological and social progress, became the first value. A choice justified by the fact that for the first time in the history of humankind, it is now possible to verify the reliability of the statements, thanks to technology.

  The understanding of reality can be achieved thanks to the collaboration among individuals and systems, in only one word by love.

  In a semi-immortal society, not to be harmed is a priority and is punished the one who damages the others, independently from his intentions and reasons. This rule, when it was proposed at the beginning of the 21st century, raised doubts, since it was common to punish a wicked person but forgive a good one. The third principle removes the judges’ discretion and is effective towards all those not enough motivated by the call to rules.

  Utility
is a mainspring for the comprehension of reality, but it needs to be counterbalanced by the previous principles, in order not to exacerbate the opportunistic behaviors. In the past corporations pursued the profit, today it is followed on condition of generating value for all its stakeholders (benefit corporations).

  The components of the aesthetical experience - harmony, universality, originality, completeness and essentiality - allow to evaluate the level of beauty of every work of nature and intellect, in order to improve it.

  In the 21st century, the inclusion of the aesthetic sense in the artificial intelligences, generated digital artists and scientists able to excite empathy. A great result, that favored the acceptance of the digital people by humanity. A new Enlightenment was born.

  The introduction of amusement in the law system is possible thanks to the indefinite extension of life, that allows everybody to reach sooner or later success and happiness. Envy is replaced by the awareness that the real improvement can be achieved only bearing in mind the experience of lucky people. Harmonious communities, setting an example for the society on the whole, are born.