Krishnamurti on The Singularity

A couple of videos of Jiddu Krishnamurti talking about artificial intelligence and the future of humanity have come to my attention and I thought they might also be of interest to h+ Readers.

“Jiddu Krishnamurti (12 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a speaker and writer on philosophical and spiritual subjects. In his early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected this mantle and disbanded the organisation behind it. His subject matter included psychological revolution, the nature of mind, meditation, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasised that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.”

“Krishnamurti had previously stated in talks of previous years his concern of the Computer & Genetic Technology affecting the future of mankind. Our “conditioning” being the major factor in ignorance – preventing living a holistic life. But, rather a future of technologically controlled but “conditioned (programmed)” humanity, if we don’t change.

This is an edit of the 3rd Talk, Madras, India, 1986.

In this, his very last Talk, he reaffirms this concern ….

… So, the computer is coming up in the world, not only in the factories, but also it’s going to make your brains something different. Which is – you’ve heard of genetic engineering – oh god, don’t you hear all these things? They’re trying to, whether you like it or not, to change your whole behaviour. That is genetic engineering. They are trying to change your way of thinking. You understand what I’m saying?

So, genetic engineering and the computer, when the two meet together – they’re going to presently, in a number of years – what are you? You understand what I’m asking, sir? What are you; as a human being what are you? Your brains are going to be altered. Your way of behaviour is going to be changed. Right? They may altogether remove fear, remove sorrow, remove all your gods. They’re going to, sir, don’t fool yourself. Because it all ends up either in war or in death. Right? So, this is what is happening in the world actually. Genetic engineering on the one side and computer on the other and when they meet, as they’re inevitably going to meet, what are you as a human being?”

J. KRISHNAMURTI: 1986: The Future: Computer & Genetics

Jiddu Krishnamurti in conversation with David Bohm – The Future of Humanity  Brockwood Park, 1983.

H/T and thanks Francisco Boni Neto