Ideal Collapse of Consciousness
Chatbots and the Dark Side of Optimism
In the modern world, it's not unheard of for people to find solace in unexpected places. Two years ago, a troubled Belgian man turned to a chatbot for comfort. This interaction led to a tragic outcome, highlighting a disconcerting mismatch between technological advancement and human vulnerability. In a thought-provoking new book, philosopher Guillaume Paoli explores this chasm in his latest work, "Something Better than Optimism".
This captivating book delves into the shallow allure of the 'O' word — optimism — and the harmful notions it often brings with it. In a world that's quick to shrug off genuine problems with a smile, Paoli's book challenges the smug acceptance of suffering, thejection of feelings, and the belief in the lesser evil.
Optimism, as Karl Popper demanded in the last century, was an absolute duty. And while optimism might seem like a simple, positive outlook on life, Paoli takes us back several centuries to theBaroque era and delves into the works of Leibniz to expose its sinister origins. Leibniz's theodicy determination suggests that we inhabit the best of all possible worlds — a notion that casts God-given evil and suffering in a favorable light, effectively legitimizing oppression.
Paoli argues that instead of optimism, we should seek utopianism or maximalism — ideologies that don't settle for what's given but strive for alternatives, for another world. It was a Jesuit philosopher named Louis-Bernard Castel who coined the term "optimism" in 1737, as a critique of Leibniz's best-world theory. Castel also coined the term "fatalism", a belief that everything follows predetermined paths, leaving no room for individual action or free will.
Today, God has lost his argumentative relevance in Western societies, although his Church still demands unquestioning submission. In secular society, however, market forces have become the modern theodicy. In Paoli's words, they have become the "oikodicy" — the assumption that markets will fix everything, as if they were a divine creation.
Paoli delves into the works of two radical thinkers — Bernard Mandeville and Julien Offray de La Mettrie — both men of medicine, who radically questioned societal norms and individual responsibility. Mandeville famously compared human society to a self-regulating beehive, arguing that public prosperity hinges on the pursuit of personal vices. La Mettrie went a step further, asserting that man is merely a machine. By equating thought with brain activity, La Mettrie denied man a soul, sparking controversy and forcing him into exile.
In the digital age, we have taken the machine metaphor to an extreme. Struggling with the ache of meaningful work, many people pour their energy into machines, both literally and metaphorically. They believe that technology will alleviate human suffering, leading to the creation of artificial intelligence that calculates and solves problems without the burden of human emotions. But what happens when the amazement of innovation leads to a fatalistic acceptance of suffering and an apathetic dreamlessness?
Paoli further delves into the horror of modern warfare, where even the most aggressive forces cloak themselves in the self-righteous label of the "lesser evil". In a world where technological advancements lead to increasingly efficient weapons, accountability for human life dwindles. Paoli cautions against this normalization of horror, urging us to question the justification of suffering and the pursuit of the lesser evil.
In a little over 100 pages, Paoli masterfully distills this thought-provoking critique of optimism and the dangers it poses in our rapidly advancing world. "Something Better than Optimism" is a must-read in these troubled times, offering a rich and enlightening examination of the nature of human existence and the role of technology in our lives.
Guillaume Paoli: Something Better Than Optimism. Matthes & Seitz Berlin, 112 pages, hb., 12 €.
In the digital age, people delve into technology as a means of alleviating human suffering, believing that artificial intelligence can solve problems without the burden of human emotions, even as they pour their energy into machines metaphorically (books).
Meanwhile, the works of Guillaume Paoli, as discussed in his book "Something Better than Optimism", challenge the ubiquitous belief that technological advancements can provide simple, positive solutions, highlighting the dangerous consequences of optimism in various aspects of modern life, such as politics, entertainment, and general-news.
