Guest post by Patrick Wood
Will you take the blue pill or the red pill?
Few people really truly experienced the passage from modernity into post-modernity (1970- 2023). Incremental changes in how we view reality obscured the journey and left many with empty-headed thoughts of “Wherever you go, there you are.”
However, there were those who carefully watched the parade go by and left behind plenty of history and analysis for us to examine, like evangelical Christian philosopher Francis Shaffer (How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture, 1976), futurist Alvin Toffler (Future Shock, 1971), and French philosopher Jean Baudrillard (Simulacra and Simulation, 1981).
In my previous essay, Reality Is Escaping Out The Back Door, I introduced Baudrillard’s concept of simulation and simulacra and posed the statement, “The Total Collapse Of Reality Could Be At Hand.”
Why? Among other things, AI development is advancing at a geometric rate, potentially doubling every 12 to 18 months, threatening to displace what is left of reality with a simulacrum. Baudrillard demonstrated this progression from reality to anti-reality:
Whereas representation attempts to absorb simulation by interpreting it as a false representation, simulation envelops the whole edifice of representation itself as a simulacrum. Such would be the successive phases of the image:
— it is the reflection of a profound reality;
— it masks and denatures a profound reality;
— it masks the absence of a profound reality;
— it has no relation to any reality whatsoever;
— it is its own pure simulacrum.
The Matrix
Millions saw the 1999 film The Matrix, a cyber-punk, science fiction film that rocked the world. Even today, people will exclaim, “We are living in the matrix,” while not having a clue about what they are talking about.
In fact, the movie was thoroughly steeped in Jean Baudrillard’s philosophy. His book, Simulacra and Simulation, was required reading by the entire cast. The book appeared in one scene, and many references throughout would never have been seen unless you read it in the first place – but it is there.
In modernity, the subject rules over the object. This is reversed in post-modernity with the triumph of the object over the subject. In the Matrix, machines are seen ruling over man rather than man ruling over the machines. We can see this everywhere today. And the struggle of the resistance is just as existential today as it was in the movie.
Objects That Control Us
Man is increasingly dominated by objects that he has created: AI, smart phones, social media, viruses, vaccines, etc. Each layer increasingly masks reality while replacing it with hyper-reality, all of which combines to create a larger simulacrum. In the end the simulacrum has no relation to any reality whatsoever; It is anti-reality.
I have strongly warned about the mechanistic nature of Technocracy and Transhumanism in my book, The Evil Twins of Technocracy and Transhumanism. These devalue what it is to be human and they break the social connections necessary to hold society together.
These effects are blatantly obvious in the world of AI, where headlines like this are common: Tech bros like OpenAI’s Sam Altman keep obsessing about replacing the ‘median human’ with AI. Another article it puts like this:
Altman’s hope is that artificial general intelligence (AGI) will have roughly the same intelligence as a “median human that you could hire as a co-worker.” It’s a disconcerting assertion, considering that it really sounds like Altman is looking to replace the work of normal people with a not-yet-realized AGI.
In other words, if you happen to live a “median” life, you could soon be out of a job.
Altman’s solution for the resultant and rampant unemployment is Universal Basic Income, which dates back to the Technocracy movement in 1930s. However, Altman sees those displaced souls not just as unemployed, but rather as “unemployables” – they won’t be capable of finding a job.
They will not miss employment, however, as reality slips further away in their rear view mirror. They will be living in a simulacrum.
Indeed, they will be living in the Matrix, where some artificial reality occupies their minds while their bodies are harvested for energy.
Baudrillard was harshly critical of the first installment of the Matrix, and wanted to nothing with the two sequels that followed. Personally, I think the Matrix slapped him in the face with the true nature of what he had written about for years.
The Way Out
The destruction of reality is underway and it could be over in two or three years. The masses will follow the pied piper “who attracts a following through charisma or false promises”.
Not for you? To avoid being sucked down the black hole of anti-reality, there are things you can do now.
- Decide whether or not you want to take the “blue pill” or the “red pill”. Many will choose the “blue pill” and will be happy with it.
- Commit to hold on to reality at any cost
- Learn how to spot simulations and simulacra
- Eliminate or limit the use of objects that want to dominate you
- Always be mindful of your own humanity
- Seek to connect with those who are committed to the above.
I took the black pill, which is to say I acknowledge the existence of red pillers and blue pillers and realize it’s going to be worse than either of them imagine. They are the common denominator in this fucked up equation that make it all possible. None of this ends well.
Isn’t the black pill when you’re aware of what’s going on back don’t care to do anything about it?
what can we do about it?
Nah . Red piller’s see things as they are but still hold out some hope that perhaps there can be a fix for it whereas black piller’s also see things as they are but hold out zero hope for any fix . Hence being black pilled is ultimately nihilistic in my opinion . Never give up , because ” unknown unknowns ” are a thing .
Perhaps I am a purple piller because while I don’t believe anything is going to get better before they have to get a whole lot worse first , because human nature . I also know that often / always, just when you think nothing can ever change, it does .
It’s not nihilistic to not believe in a ‘fix.’ Especially when everyone wants the quick fix. Maybe that is what black pill means, but generally I’ve only heard it used by people who are criticising those with more extreme/harsh views than themselves.
Remember, in Pandora’s box were all the evils. And Hope was in there, too.
If a computer can do it then it never really was a job for a human.
You know what is always missing? Any mention of human purpose. Everything is always geared around eliminating human labor without ever asking the question, what then is the meaning of life?
“The main business of humanity is to do a good job of being human beings,” said Paul, “not to serve as appendages to machines, institutions, and systems.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1005005-player-piano
“Once upon a time on Tralfamadore there were creatures who weren’t anything like machines. They weren’t dependable. They weren’t efficient. They weren’t predictable. They weren’t durable. And these poor creatures were obsessed by the idea that everything that existed had to have a purpose, and that some purposes were higher than others. These creatures spent most of their time trying to find out what their purpose was. And every time they found out what seemed to be a purpose of themselves, the purpose seemed so low that the creatures were filled with disgust and shame. And, rather than serve such a low purpose, the creatures would make a machine to serve it. This left the creatures free to serve higher purposes. But whenever they found a higher purpose, the purpose still wasn’t high enough. So machines were made to serve higher purposes, too. And the machines did everything so expertly that they were finally given the job of finding out what the highest purpose of the creatures could be. The machines reported in all honesty that the creatures couldn’t really be said to have any purpose at all. The creatures thereupon began slaying each other, because they hated purposeless things above all else. And they discovered that they weren’t even very good at slaying. So they turned that job over to the machines, too. And the machines finished up the job in less time than it takes to say, ‘Tralfamadore.’”
― Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan
“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/905970-the-sirens-of-titan
I think the Altmans of the world have a different definition of who is human.
Yes. A “median human” – what a crock of shit. The guy’s deranged to say the least.
To live. On your terms or someone elses.
Most made their choice during the Scamdemic.
If that didn’t open people’s eyes, nothing will.
History is full of what “They” want and what they will do to get it.
This is Spiritual Warfare.
Vilfredo Pareto Quotations
“When it is useful to them, men can believe a theory (germ theory, global warming) of which they know nothing more than its name.”
“Men follow their sentiments and their self-interest, but it pleases them to imagine that they follow reason. And so, they look for, and always find, some theory (germ theory, global warming) which, a posteriori, makes their actions appear to be logical. If that theory could be demolished scientifically, the only result would be that another theory would be substituted for the first one, and for the same purpose.”
“It is a known fact that almost all revolutions have been the work, not of the common people, but of the aristocracy, and especially of the decayed part of the aristocracy.”
“History is the graveyard of aristocracies.”
“Assume that the new elite were clearly and simply to proclaim its intentions (to take over the government) which are to supplant the old elite; no one would come to its assistance, it would be defeated before having fought a battle. On the contrary, if it appears to be asking nothing for itself (by declaring an epidemic emergency for the public good), well knowing that (without revealing its real agenda) in advance it will obtain what it wants as a consequence of its victory.”
“In politics all ruling classes have at all times identified their own interests with the “interests of the country.” When politicians are afraid of a too rapid increase in the number of proletarians, they are for birth-control and show that Malthusianism is to the interests of public and country. If, instead, they are afraid a population may prove inadequate for their designs, they are against birth-control, and show just as conclusively that their interest is the interest of public and country. And all that is accepted as long as fundamental beliefs remain favorable. The situation changes as fundamental beliefs change never in view of arguments pro or contra.”
Taken from here:
Should Red State Governors Declare an Anti-Coup Counter Emergency?
Nothing? Really?
How about killing your neighbor in order to steal their food so you don’t starve? Might that open eyes?
Covid was nothing more than a compliance test, not even basic inconvenient survival tier, let alone spiritual warfare, WTF that means.
“How about killing your neighbor in order to steal their food so you don’t starve? Might that open eyes?”
Nope.
What is reality to an NPC?
AI is being pushed as a concept because if the masses believe it, it can be used to justify almost anything.
Never mind the fact that AI can “create” reality, as in, “Is this real or AI?” Not knowing one from the other will have people acting like a cat chasing a laser pointer…
Nah. Merely turn off tbe black mirror and boop, it’s gone.
Hey author !
How bout advising your readers to LOSE THE I-phone …..instead of the wordy pie in sky “What you can do” .
Your I-phone is the tether to the systems control of you………………..the real matrix.
BTW………….Im 66…….ran a business for 35 years and never owned a I-phone.
You can survive……….actually thrive without that device.
For one thing a person will have a lot more time in the day to do things. It would be interesting to know how much time is wasted per lifetime by those things.
Nooooooo….. How will I ever find something to distract me so I won’t have to acknowledge the cretin that just wandered past….
For any newcomers who may be interested:
In a previous post here entitled “A Postmortem on Postmodernism”, Baudrillard’s “view of modernity” was described as “an analogy of a regular strawberry that soon inspired strawberry flavoring, strawberry soda, strawberry candy, etc., until someone decided to make a strawberry-flavored slurpee that tasted like a strawberry-flavored Jolly Rancher.”
and…
“Millions saw the 1999 film The Matrix . . .”
Including Baudrillard . . .
“His book, Simulacra and Simulation, was required reading by the entire cast.”
. . . who opined that they didn’t understand a word of it.
Never take pills from strange black men. There is no spoon, and there is no pill…
Reality isn’t binary. And for the black pillers: you just agreed to define reality in their terms.
I dunno, I think I want a nice juicy steak from Zaberers. From 40 years ago. I don’t really care if it’s not real, all I know is when that hot juicy steak hits my virtual reality taste buds, it makes me think about…….. Damn, I’m stuck in the Matrix….
TV. Turn that shit off.
Summarizing everything. The demiurge wants to remain in 3D and to do so he has countless mental slaves who are nothing more than organic robots that weigh down the earth.