Automation along with Artificial Intelligence might be one of the most discussed subjects right now in regards our future social structure. Even though we are far from automated economies and 'Ghost In the Shell' type of scenarios, sci-fi literature and the pop-science news have a created a strong sentiment around the the idea.
It was thought once that the discovery that Earth is not at the center of the universe would nullify the argument of God. We were wrong. The spiritual longing of humanity seems to have been inventing new ways of suggesting that there might be something greater than us, that somehow controls us. In Star Wars that Was "The Force", in Einstein's God was something similar (much like Spinozas). We are walking heresies trying to figure out where all this grandiose of existence fits and how we all relate to it.
While philosophically we found ourselves in dire straights in regards to who or what guides this flow of existence, we are creating our small universes and creatures that resemble our very nature. We build robots, blockchains, missiles, probes, computers and programs that have a life of their own. We try to integrate in them as much information as possible using ourselves as inspiration — and we are doing a great job at it.
Much like works of art, we breathe life and soul into our creations that create such an awe that makes us question our very own soul. Where do we get all this inspiration. Why do we create and explore? Most people create their own narrative that comes either from religion, superstition or plain speculation. We cannot have all the pieces of the puzzle and thus we fill in the gaps.
Within this rhyme of thought we now find ourselves asking about the potentiality of our existence. Is our flesh and bones relevant? What is a soul after all other than a concept that was created long before we knew basic human anatomy. What are our emotional responses other than lines of code embedded in our physiology? How do we have control of who we are if generation after generation this very code gets embedded into the wider ecosystem, becoming pawns of all existence?
These are hard questions and even though we do have answers for all of them, accepting such reality is scary. Most people draw meaning from life based on a given narrative. A soul gives a purpose for existence. Even if we do create robots that think and act like us, some kind of heresy will still exist that the "original" is somehow different. Artificial intelligence might be even be more sophisticated than our puny biological minds yet some of us (at least of a while) will chose to remain romantics. A soul is nothing more than the random electrical signals that reassure us about a shared narrative that takes place in our bodies. We will continue accepting the idea until the truth is too hard to bear.
