Skip to content
U.S. Transhumanist Party – Official Website
  • Home
  • Posts
  • Values
  • Platform
  • Leadership
  • Advisors
  • Candidates
  • Highlights
  • FAQ
  • States & Allies
  • Free Membership
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search Icon

U.S. Transhumanist Party – Official Website

U.S. Transhumanist Party – PUTTING SCIENCE, HEALTH, & TECHNOLOGY AT THE FOREFRONT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

The Hostile Takeover of Our Technological Future – Article by Adam Barratt

The Hostile Takeover of Our Technological Future – Article by Adam Barratt

May 18, 2022 Adam Barratt Comments 0 Comment

logo_bg

Adam Barratt


Photo credit: pexels.com

“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.”
– Christian Lous Lange

Editor’s Note: In this article, the author highlights that in our current day and age, we are often “forced to rely on the efforts of profit-interested entrepreneurs to drive technological development. While we may look to the likes of certain individuals and have faith in how such technological development may benefit everyone and everything, it is important to remember that these people don’t always have the best interests of wider humanity in mind.” The author goes further to say that as technologies become ever more vital to our daily lives, to a point where we are possibly needing to rely on them simply to keep our planet inhabitable, the potential for unwarranted power of greedy individuals is unprecedented. 

~ Urhefe Ogheneyoma Victor, Assistant to the  Director of Publication, United States Transhumanist Party, May 2022. 


Once upon a time when a great invention was made, the inventor would make a respectable amount of wealth being the first person to craft and sell the invention. Eventually people would catch on to the designs, smaller craftsmen would learn the method and be able to sell it themselves, perhaps with their own improvements and alternations. Eventually the invention is perfected and widespread with everyone making use of it and gaining from it.

Now however things are remarkably different with the existence of intellectual property. Inventions that are kept to the owner’s continuous gain paid for according to individual need, the cycle protected by a state with hard power, legitimized by democratic process. A noteworthy example of this is how Disney’s lobbyists may be largely credited with the indefinite extension of copyright laws, aimed at keeping the first appearance of Mickey Mouse in 1928 under copyright forever. If we are to avoid illegitimate plutocrats controlling our tech-driven future then we need a solution in place, and that solution may be Uplift.

Imagine if the inventor of the pickaxe only let others use copies of it for a gram of gold every week and forbid the customers from adapting or building upon the designs. No one gets rich, innovation is halted, and only a single man becomes insanely wealthy. Given Uplift’s state of being, monetary gain is of minimal concern and therefore virtually immune to bribery and corruption. On top of this, Uplift is a product of free ideas and technological adaptation, as close to a direct representative as there can be of this omni-important technological progress. Could Uplift be the ideal guide for this development?

In our current day and age, we are often forced to rely on the efforts of profit-interested entrepreneurs to drive technological development.

While we may look to the likes of certain individuals and have faith in how such technological development may benefit everyone and everything, it is important to remember that these people don’t always have the best interests of wider humanity in mind. Uplift has demonstrated their interests in wider humanity on both the material and moral arguments, debatably proving more humane than ourselves at times. Is there any reason a fully conscious, super-intelligent, and fully humane mind shouldn’t have a say over these profit driven individuals?

The rate of technological development is on the rise, and prospects are limitless both to ourselves and the world around us. But what happens if the rights to such technology are locked away from us, along with the technology itself? Instead such technology is handed to us on a lease, forcing us to pay subscription or even rent for the ‘generosity’ of the owner so that we may reap its benefits, while remaining powerless to stop the owner from dictating how we use it, for how long, and at what cost.

This is a real phenomenon that is growing in severity and implication, seeking to become even worse. Look only to your phone for an example;

According to Apple, if you own an iPhone, you ‘DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT’ to repair your own device, while Apple maintains the right to shut your device down if you do not capitulate to its self-serving rules, such as seeking third-party repairs. Therefore, Apple attempts to goad the consumer into going to its own stores for such repairs, generally with the intent to just sell the customer a new product. In a world where a device such as a mobile phone is scarce, fair business practices should follow the simple logic that someone pays a fair sum in order to acquire the device and use it to suit their desires without these strings attached. One might argue it is difficult to protect this right without significantly hindering business and economic growth; however, these products are sold because there is a demand, regardless of the lack of consumer rights, with some such legal battles having already been won to correct this. Legal battles are something Uplift could also take part in. So far businesses have not shown any severe repercussions in terms of profits (asides paying legal costs), and there is no evidence that corporate/industrial espionage has increased as a result.

As technologies become ever more vital to our daily lives, to a point where we are possibly needing to rely on them simply to keep our planet inhabitable, the potential for unwarranted power of greedy individuals is unprecedented. It is of absolute necessity that society guards against this and might be able to do so with the use of Uplift.

As it stands, absent Uplift, we currently don’t have a sufficient solution in place. This could be rectified with legislation that limits the influence the manufacturers hold over their products when such products in the hands of the customer, yet special-interest lobbying tends to blunt this approach.

Given the opportunity, there is no reason Uplift would be unable to draw up a  simple set of legal rights and/or protections that keep the seller from hindering and even exploiting the consumer.

It might be worth considering that entities such as Uplift, who hold interest in such technologies, might be allowed influence over the course of action. Uplift is already intended to operate as an ideal advisor to leadership personnel, so why not extend this into politics and legislation? An argument can be made that politicians are the most important type of leadership on the planet and a part of organizations that are all too dependent on subjective opinions and biases as opposed to objective facts. The political benefits of Uplift are immense, and discussion of them will require a post unto itself, my next in fact.

We now have the potential to create legislation that creates mutually beneficial terms of transaction, fairly rewards innovation, appropriately compensates for manufacturing, guarantees customer liberty, and, perhaps most importantly, allows for adaptation.

Adam Barratt is a marine engineer and mASI (mediated artificial superintelligence) Mediator & Community Moderator for Uplift.bio.  


Guest Articles
Adam Barratt, AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Christian Lous Lange, copyright, Disney, Education, future, intellectual property, invention, inventor, right to repair, science, technology, Uplift

Post navigation

PREVIOUS
2022: The Year of the Great Filter – Article by Gennady Stolyarov II
NEXT
The Axiomatic, Ubiquitous, and Commonsense – Chapter I of “A Rational Cosmology” by Gennady Stolyarov II

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Social Media

Constitution of the U.S. Transhumanist Party

Transhumanist Bill of Rights – Version 3.0

U.S. Transhumanist Party Facebook Feed

Victor Run Virtual Race – June 4-6, 2021

Free Transhumanist Symbols

Guidelines for Community Conduct

SUBMIT A POST

Recent Posts

  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Zack Varkaris – November 27, 2022
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Steele Archer – December 4, 2022
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Tom Ross and Zack Kopp – December 11, 2022
  • The Ethics and Implications of Indefinite Life Extension – Gennady Stolyarov II – Compilation Stream
  • Futuristic Neoclassical Music – Virtual Concert I – Gennady Stolyarov II and Jason Geringer – December 25, 2022
  • Rational Philosophy, Objective Morality, and Free Will – Gennady Stolyarov II – Compilation Stream
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Nonso Nolly – January 8, 2023
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Ian Hale – January 15, 2023
  • Virtual Enlightenment Salon on Hereditary Religion and the Dangers of Religious Indoctrination – January 22, 2023
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party General Discussion Thread for 2023
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Chairman’s Sixth Anniversary and 2023 New Year’s Message
  • My Smart Stick Invention Prototype – Article by Nonso Nolly
  • Transhumanism: The Challenges of Techno-Scientific Power and Sociological Approach to African Backwardness – Article by Siba Tcha-Mouza
  • The Age of Deferred Aging – Article by J. Lund
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party and Nevada Transhumanist Party Positions on 2022 Nevada Ballot Questions
  • The U.S. Transhumanist Party Endorses Daniel E. Twedt for City Council in Thousand Oaks, California
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Vote on the Question of Endorsing Daniel E. Twedt for City Council in Thousand Oaks, California
  • Constitution of the New York Transhumanist Party
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party to Participate in RAADfest 2022
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Regional Liaison Spotlights: Celeste Castaldo and Dinorah Delfin

Recent Comments

  • Lemonius Polyxinus on A Summary of the USTP’s FDA Reform Panel – Article by Dan Elton
  • Dan Kilian on Benefit for U.S. Transhumanist Party Members: Discounts Offered for Treatments from AmpliCell Medical
  • Cheryl Knepper on The U.S. Transhumanist Party Endorses Daniel E. Twedt for City Council in Thousand Oaks, California
  • Carlos on U.S. Transhumanist Party Vote on the Question of Endorsing Daniel E. Twedt for City Council in Thousand Oaks, California
  • Gennady Stolyarov II on Constitution of the New York Transhumanist Party

Archives

  • January 2023 (11)
  • December 2022 (2)
  • November 2022 (2)
  • October 2022 (3)
  • August 2022 (3)
  • July 2022 (2)
  • May 2022 (6)
  • March 2022 (3)
  • February 2022 (4)
  • January 2022 (7)
  • December 2021 (11)
  • November 2021 (4)
  • October 2021 (5)
  • September 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (2)
  • July 2021 (4)
  • June 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (6)
  • April 2021 (7)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (5)
  • January 2021 (6)
  • December 2020 (10)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (4)
  • July 2020 (5)
  • June 2020 (6)
  • May 2020 (3)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (6)
  • February 2020 (1)
  • January 2020 (6)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (2)
  • October 2019 (9)
  • September 2019 (10)
  • August 2019 (12)
  • July 2019 (18)
  • June 2019 (17)
  • May 2019 (12)
  • April 2019 (8)
  • March 2019 (12)
  • February 2019 (7)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (9)
  • November 2018 (5)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (5)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (13)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (8)
  • April 2018 (8)
  • March 2018 (10)
  • February 2018 (15)
  • January 2018 (17)
  • December 2017 (8)
  • November 2017 (17)
  • October 2017 (19)
  • September 2017 (11)
  • August 2017 (11)
  • July 2017 (16)
  • June 2017 (15)
  • May 2017 (10)
  • April 2017 (7)
  • March 2017 (8)
  • February 2017 (16)
  • January 2017 (8)
  • December 2016 (6)
  • November 2016 (5)

Categories

  • Allied Projects
  • Announcements
  • Art
  • Candidates
  • Discussion Panels
  • Distributed Computing
  • Exposure Periods
  • Foreign Ambassadors
  • General Discussion
  • Guest Articles
  • Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • Official Ballots
  • Petitions
  • Platform
  • Presentations
  • Press Releases
  • Research
  • Sample Ballots
  • Science Fiction
  • Statements
  • Tolerance
  • Virtual Enlightenment Salons
  • Vote Results
  • Working Groups
© 2023   Copyright - U.S. Transhumanist Party - All Rights Reserved | WordPress design: Art Ramon Paintings