What if most of what you believe is false?

A lot of these questions are involve a false binary choice. The future, for example, will be different. Some small sliver of the population will see it as absolutely better, or worse, but most of us will see nuances, just like we see the past.

Life in the past sucked in many ways, but I'm sure that there was a rhythm to life in an office with a shared lunch room, that some people miss. Of course, there were the horrible commutes, and the "just a quick question" interruptions that also came along with it and destroyed productivity.

So, was it better then, or not? It's not a binary, there's a lot of nuance.

Ok sure, most of what I believe is probably false. The opposite of most of what I believe is probably also false. Things halfway between both of those are also highly likely to be false. It turns out, humans are wrong all the time, for varying values of wrong.

I don't think you're advocating for the left or right, but it does sound like you're advocating for the idea that people being wrong about lots of stuff is dangerous and scary. Idk, I think that's just normal and people aren't going to be as freaked out about it as you are.

What if we had a website devoted to intellectual curiosity rather than to conspiracy theories and wild futurism?

Just like the aforementioned Democracy, someone would saddle it with a "first past the post", scalar voting system, rather than one that embraces the full spectrum of nuance by allowing voting to express multiple preferences at once.

Fair questions in any age, save the technology related ones. Most have asked the same questions over and over. Some answers have lead humanity further than where it was before. So good for you to keep moving the wheel of change.

Spoiler alert (not that much): change is coming. Always.

I think I prefer to be a mindless robot, the answers to some of these questions are frightening

If you feel like answering these question, also answer the opposite.

What if the future will be better than the past?

What if "AI" is around the corner?

What if "Democracy" is what protects us from the powerful few?

What if human biodiversity is not responsible for differential development?

What if the mitigation of Covid saved us from something much worse?

What will the word be like when we will be able to find an alternative energy source as cheap and dense as fossil hydrocarbons?

What if ad-based internet, pointless consumerism, and the casinofication of finance is a boon to our society?

What if our leaders problem solving thought processes evidence of effectiveness over dogma even when serving special interests?

What is the point of supporting open borders and globalisation?

What if people in general are gaining abilities to think critically and see things in terms of gradients rather than black and white polarities?

I am deeply optimistic about the future of the modern world. We will do better than just sustaining the status quo. What comes next?

People left and right have new solutions to the real problems facing the world.

This time, it is different.

Meanwhile vast resources are spent in pursuit of economic growth in consideration of the future.

Will things get tough and will we reach the limits of growth as nations hold together?

What if the rate of technological innovation has progressed to the point we discover new physics?

What if capitalism is really an efficient rationing mechanism resulting in great use of human and material resources?

What if nations and loosely organised multinational high finance cartel work together in a democratic government?

What will become of us when this parasite will be gone?

To be clear this post is neither left nor right nor advocating anything. It is merely observing that the current state of affair is like a ship avoiding the iceberg.

Some are reduced to wage slaves while many more are doing very well.

We are advocating real, novel solutions instead of the same recycled tripe of old.

Will "waking up" make the future war, scarcity, and strife?

> What if the future will be worse than the past?

There's no point worrying about the future. All we have is the present. All the wise sages of old have repeatedly said the same thing.

> What if "AI" is a pipe dream?

When it evolves to strong AI and becomes sentient enough it will be the atomic bomb 2.0, only much more powerful and deadly.

> What if "Democracy" is an illusion of manufactured consent to serve the interests of the powerful few?

If 'Democracy' is voting now and then and casting a small vote every few months, this is not democracy. See: The Tyranny of the Majority.

> What if human biodiversity exists and is partially responsible for differential development?

Not sure what you mean? Diversity in humans has always been a thing.

> What if the mitigation of Covid was worse than the disease?

What if the disease was allowed to run rampant?

> What if the world will never be able to find an alternative energy source as cheap and dense as fossil hydrocarbons?

Our only hope is a Dyson sphere around the sun where we harvest the energy of the sun much more efficiently and use it to explore space.

> What if ad-based internet, pointless consumerism, and the casinofication of finance is destroying our society?

There are ways to thwart surveillance tech with AD blockers. There's nothing 'pointless' about consumerism if our basic needs are met. Pointless fast fashion and keeping up the the jones is generally considered bad.

> What if our leaders problem solving thought processes put dogma above evidence of effectiveness even when not serving special interests?

Nothing new here. Politicians are gonna politician.

> What was the point of nationalism 100+ years if we now support open borders and globalisation?

We need isolationism. This means diversity. I don't want to live in a homogeneous world with single currency, single language etc

> What if even educated people are losing the ability to think critically and see things in terms of graydients rather than black and white polarities?

A mark of true intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing beliefs/dogmas in your head and believe them both.

> What will hold nations together when the going gets tough and we reach the limits of growth?

Solidarity, patriotism, huge amounts of cooperation.

> What if the rate of technological innovation has slowed in the absence of new physics?

There doesn't need to be more innovation in physics for more innovation, we simply build on the current physics.

> What if capitalism is failing as an efficient rationing mechanism and resulting in great waste of human and material resources?

Socialism works here, but not always. Socialism as an extreme is generally considered bad. Socialism can sometimes be an escape hatch for capitalism getting out of hand.

> What if nations have been captured by a loosely organised multinational high finance cartel that dictates policy to democratic government through the media and think tanks and academia?

That's how it always played out. This is why the mega rich buy media companies. To lobby and implement their own agendas. Musk & Twitter. Bezos' Washington Post.

> What will become of us when this parasite runs out of fresh blood to suck?

What parasite?

> Not sure what you mean? Diversity in humans has always been a thing.

I know what he means and I don't like it!