The Techno-humanist Future

Episode Overview

• Jason Crawford, Founder of Roots of Progress, reflects on the significant growth and re-acceleration of the progress movement over the past eight years.
• He provides a comprehensive list of recent technological breakthroughs across various sectors—from autonomous vehicles and nuclear energy to supersonic flight and biotechnology—as evidence that we are in a new era of rapid advancement.
• Crawford introduces the concept of an "Intelligence Age" ushered in by AI, which he argues will be as transformative as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions.
• He proposes a new philosophy called "Techno-humanism" to guide this future, one that centers on human well-being, acknowledges technological risks, and emphasizes human agency in shaping progress.

Key Concepts

• The Shift from Stagnation to Acceleration: The conversation about progress has moved from a focus on stagnation to a tangible sense of re-acceleration, supported by numerous recent technological achievements.
• Evidence of Modern Progress: The speech highlights specific examples like Waymo's robotaxis, the restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, Boom Supersonic's test flights, SpaceX's Starship booster catch, Zipline's drone deliveries reducing maternal mortality in Rwanda, and Neuralink's brain-computer interface trials.
• The Intelligence Age: AI is presented not just as a new technology but as the foundation for a new era of humanity, with the potential to drive sustained double-digit economic growth and transform society.
• The Need for a New Philosophy: Crawford critiques both simple optimism (which can lead to complacency) and accelerationism (which can de-emphasize human agency). He argues for a more nuanced framework to navigate the future.
• Techno-humanism: This proposed philosophy for progress is centered on human flourishing as the ultimate standard. It acknowledges the real risks of technology but emphasizes human agency and heroic safety engineering to solve them, rather than ignoring them or halting progress.
• Countering Opposition: The speech notes that progress is always met with opposition from various sources (fear of risks, special interests, those in power). A clear, human-centric philosophy is needed to justify and defend the pursuit of advancement.

Quotes

• At 00:32 - "Since then, it really feels as if we are re-accelerating." - Highlighting the shift in the pace of technological advancement and the growing optimism within the progress community over the last several years.
• At 02:51 - "It is not crazy to think that at some point in an intelligence age, economic growth could be sustained at double-digit percentage points year after year." - Speculating on the massive economic potential of the AI-driven era, comparing its scale of impact to previous historical ages.
• At 09:38 - "We need a philosophy that heeds the lessons of the 20th century... And we need one that is centered on humanity, one that holds human well-being as its standard, not the will of the universe, and that recognizes human agency." - Articulating the core principles of "Techno-humanism" as a necessary framework for guiding future progress.

Takeaways

• Actively Participate in Building the Future: Progress is not an inevitable or automatic force; it requires the active effort of "doers" (inventors, founders) and "talkers" (writers, educators). Find your role and contribute to the community to keep progress moving forward.
• Embrace a Vision of Heroic Safety: Instead of ignoring or denying the risks of new technologies, a productive approach is to embrace the challenge of making them safe. Celebrate the "heroic safety engineering" that has made past technologies like aviation and pharmaceuticals reliable.
• Develop and Evangelize a Human-Centric Philosophy: To effectively counter opposition and inspire the next generation, it's essential to have a clear worldview that explains why progress is desirable. Ground your arguments in the goal of human flourishing and agency, not in an impersonal or deterministic view of technology.