Anticynical #16: The Extended Mind - Part 3 - The Future
Anticynical #16: The Extended Mind - Part 3 - The Future
Encore: Future of the Extended Mind
Hey there 👋,
Welcome to the third and final part of the 16th edition of Anticynical! Over the last two weeks, I sent out parts one and two of the series on the extended mind, where I talked about what the extended mind is and the evolution of the extended mind.
In summary, for part one, the internal parts of our mind, along with cognitive tools (like computers and calculators) and extensions (like language and culture) together, can be called the extended mind.
And for the second part, we explored a theory of cognitive evolution based on three major transitions, or stages of culture, in the way humans process and store information.
Mimetic Culture: The mimetic culture stage began around 1 to 2 million years ago. During this stage, Homo Sapiens and their ancestors used gestures, mimicry, and imitation for communication and to represent knowledge.
Mythic Culture: The Mythic Culture stage began around 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. This phase is characterized by the invention of spoken language and the creation of myths and shared narratives.
Theoretic Culture: The Theoretic Culture stage began with the invention of writing systems. Although the earliest known writing systems, like cuneiform in ancient Mesopotamia and hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt, emerged around 3500-3000 BCE, the full blossoming of theoretic culture, with widespread literacy and the development of institutions dedicated to analytic thought (academies, libraries, and scientific societies), took longer and varied from one civilization to another. This is our current stage with external symbolic storage and the analytic processing (writing, computers) associated with it.
Again, links to the essays if you’d like to read them: part one and part two.
In this part, I want to address the following question I brought up in the previous parts: What will the future of our extended minds look like in a digital age (and how can we be better prepared for this future)?
Idea: The Extended Mind - Part 3: The Future of the Extended Mind
We're on the brink of something big in the tech world. The cost of a wide array of technologies is dropping exponentially, at the same time their availability and efficacy is increasing exponentially. Our extended minds? They're evolving at a pace we've never seen before. Between software eating the world, the omnipresence of smartphones, and the rise of powerful AI systems like Large Language Models, we're reshaping the potential of our extended minds.
We may be entering a new fourth, post-Theoretic stage, which can be aptly named the “Information Saturation Culture.” We can speculate about some ways in which our extended minds will evolve.
Prediction 1: Filtering and Curation will be more important than ever
We already live in a world saturated with content and information. In many instances, the challenge isn't the absence of information but rather its efficient discovery and utilization.
Kevin Kelly, in his book Inevitable, identifies 12 pivotal technological forces. Among these, Filtering and Questioning are particularly salient when discussing our data-saturated future and the evolution of our extended minds.
As we grapple with an ever-expanding digital cosmos, effectively filtering information becomes paramount. Beyond mere filtration, there's an emergent need for sophisticated, personalized curation to align with individual needs. As we rely more on these filters, there will be an ongoing need to refine and improve them, ensuring that they serve us effectively without narrowing our worldviews excessively.
Similarly, when there is an information overload, having access to answers isn’t the final frontier. Instead, it shifts the emphasis toward the ability to ask the right questions. This is what Kelly means by the Questioning trend. In many ways, a well-formed question can be more valuable than an immediate answer, as it can direct and guide research, innovation, and deeper exploration. We already see a glimpse of this value of questioning when interacting with LLM interfaces, where asking the right questions or writing the right prompts can be like magic spells that unlock key information from the LLM.
We can expect Questioning and Filtering to become a more and more fundamental aspect of how we interface with reality. The fraction of reality we can effectively attend to gets smaller as the amount of information saturates. Questions and filters serve as guides, limiters, and guardians of our attention.
Prediction 2: Rapid learning and skill acquisition will be more important than ever
The accelerating pace of technological change implies that knowledge and skills can become obsolete with alarming rapidity. An "always in beta" mindset will be crucial for personal and professional growth. In the Information Saturation Culture, adaptability becomes a prized asset. It's no longer just about what you know, but about how quickly you can learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Effective use of AI offers a representative example. The adage “AI won’t take your job, but a person using AI might” applies. As AI systems become increasingly integrated into diverse sectors — from healthcare to finance to arts — professionals will need to understand not just the basics of AI, but how to co-work with these systems to optimize results.
On one hand, professionals must remain agile, continuously updating their knowledge and skills. On the other hand, they must never lose sight of the inherently human aspects of their roles — empathy, ethics, and the unique insights that come from lived experiences. This dual competence — technical acumen coupled with deep humanity — will define the most successful professionals of this new era.
Prediction 3: We will need ethical and philosophical maturation
The rise of powerful technologies will usher in complex ethical dilemmas. Societies will be compelled to deeply reflect on topics like the value of privacy in an interconnected world, the ethical boundaries of AI and genetic engineering, and the rights and responsibilities associated with digital identities.
As we delegate more cognitive functions to AI, how do we ensure that these systems make ethical decisions? How do we balance efficiency and morality? AI ethics will become an essential part of the curriculum, not just for computer scientists but for all citizens.
Focusing on another view, as genetic engineering becomes more advanced, we face moral dilemmas about selecting traits for our offspring or even potentially "curing" aging. What are the ramifications of humans playing god with our own evolution?
There may emerge a new class of ethicists and philosophers specialized in navigating the moral quandaries of our digital extensions. Just like legal experts in cyberlaw today, we may need "digital sages" to guide society.
Prediction 4: There will be a revaluation of "being offline”
As we deepen our understanding of the long-term effects of social media and the deluge of information on our well-being, we will devise more effective strategies to moderate and balance our digital consumption.
A surge in 'digital detox' movements will emphasize the value of periodic disconnection from digital devices and online platforms. Retreats, workshops, and vacations catering to 'unplugging' will gain popularity as they promise rejuvenation by encouraging participants to engage with the physical world without digital interruptions.
In a sea of distractions, philosophies that are focused on depth and focus will rise in popularity. Deep work is one such example in the professional or work domain.
Takeaways and Preparing for the Future
The relationship between humans and their extended minds is an intricate dance of coevolution. Each step, each technological advance, doesn’t merely add tools to our arsenal; it reshapes the very core of our cognitive fabric. From gestures to myths, from the written word to digital extensions, our journey has been one of increasing symbiosis with our cognitive extensions.
In a world that is fast becoming digital-first, it's easy to get lost in the cacophony of innovations and feel overwhelmed. But the heartening reality is that humans have always been adaptable, always evolving in tandem with our tools. The extended mind, whether rooted in primitive gestures or in the vast realm of the digital, is a testament to our unparalleled ability to extend our cognitive horizons.
Drawing from the historical progression of our extended minds and potential future trajectories, there are proactive steps we can take now to ready ourselves for what lies ahead.
1. Embrace Continuous Learning
Given technological change will happen faster and faster, it makes sense to invest in continuous learning. In addition, you should try to cultivate judgment to separate the latest fad from truly useful skills and tools and focus on the latter.
2. Design with Humanity in Mind
We should emphasize user-centric design in technology, ensuring that tools enhance human capabilities without diminishing our inherent qualities. We should encourage curricula that merge technology with humanities, emphasizing ethics, philosophy, and social sciences. Working through the ethical challenges of AI and other emerging technologies will require more than just technological sophistication.
3. Develop a Personalized Information Strategy
The information saturation culture comes with a near-endless amount of content. It’s easy to mindlessly lose oneself in it. Developing personalized curation, filtering, and limiting strategies will be a key piece of prioritizing mental and emotional well-being. This strategy can include limiting content exposure and allocating time for “offline” activities.
4. Develop an Awareness of the Extended Mind
As our cognitive tools become more pervasive and intertwined with our lives, there's an increasing need for mindfulness. Being aware of how and when we utilize these extensions can help us use them more effectively and prevent them from controlling or overwhelming us. Just as one practices mindfulness to become aware of one’s internal thoughts and emotions, a similar approach can be taken with our cognitive tools to use them optimally.
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In conclusion, the journey of the extended mind is an exciting testament to the evolutionary ingenuity of humanity. As we sail further into the digital age, it's our responsibility to shape our cognitive extensions in a way that augments our humanity rather than diminishes it. By being proactive, ethically aware, and continuously adaptable, we can ensure that our extended minds serve us well, leading to a future of immense potential and harmonious coexistence with our digital extensions.
I want to thank Akshat Naik for his initial thoughts and introducing me to the term “extended mind.” Thank you Shanece Grant and
for your feedback on the draft.Question: Curation or filtering of information can go wrong in many ways. What can we do to prevent the worst?
We already see a glimpse of this in the form of echo chambers and information bubbles on social media. Beyond that, there is also an over-reliance on the gatekeepers — people or algorithms that do the filtering.
I'd love to hear from you…
Your thoughts on the future of the extended mind.
How can we do information filtering more in a more discerning way?