Cavafy's Ithaca is one of the, if not the, most celebrated and well-known Greek poems. Like the rest of his poems, part of its universal appeal is, I think, that it is straightforward and accessible without being trite or overly simplistic.
The poem's main message is that the journey is more important than the destination. But the secondary message, explicitly stated by the poem's narrator, is that Ithaca serves a paramount role as a destination: "without her you would not have set out". This second message is often overlooked: because one of modern society's most common afflictions is focusing too much on an arbitrary goal only to find out that achieving it doesn't really bring happiness, most people refer to the poem to remind themselves that the adventures on the way to Ithaca are more rewarding that the arrival on the island. The problem of not having an Ithaca to long to reach is less prevalent.
But I think that with the progress in AI research, we need to start paying more attention to the poem's penultimate verse. Thinkers and journalists are (rightly) highlighting the dangers of increasing AI-led automation, but important though this discussion is, it pales in comparison to the questions that face us if we manage to build super-intelligent computers.
Imagine a world where AI solves the problem of scarcity. It is so intelligent that it not only fully automates all jobs, it not only fully optimises production of goods, but it can event invent new raw materials if the ones available in nature are not sufficient. All goods are free - food, clothes, yachts, you name it. No-one needs to work anymore. Money stops existing. (As an aside, this world does pose a serious challenge: what do we do with unique goods such as land or works of art? Since no-one can offer their labour in exchange for such goods, how do those who did not own any possessions at the advent of this world acquire such unique goods? If you thought today's world is unfair to the poor, let me tell you, there might come a time when you will wish capitalists could exploit your labour.)
Moreover, this AI can not only cure diseases, but also reverse aging. It can connect humans' brains to the internet - no longer to look up anything on your phone, it's all there in your head. No need to study: you can just download all information you need, a la Matrix. It can modify our genes at conception so we are all born with genius-level intellects and Apollonian/Aphrodisian bodies.
No more heated political debate: political division has two factors, imperfect knowledge and scarcity. Since these two are now overcome, we can finally live in peace. No war, no famine, no poverty (assuming we find a solution to the aforementioned unique asset scarcity problem). No suffering, no misery.
But also, no Ithaca: no opportunities for heroism, self-sacrifice, hard work, toil, perseverance. Virtues such as honesty, charity and humility become irrelevant. Our motivators - desire for wealth and legacy, fear of death, competition - become obsolete. We won't be able to relate to our past art - regardless of how much the world has changed, the themes in ancient tragedies, myths and epics are as relevant now as they were at the time these tragedies &c were written. This will be a world where Odysseus never leaves Ithaca in the first place; worse, a world where he not only never leaves Ithaca, but starts importing lotuses (somehow convincing the lotus eaters to stop munching their fruit for a minute and trade).
What will a word like this look, or rather, feel, like? It is a world that is for all intents and purposes unimaginable to us. For thousands of years, we humans have had Ithacas to go to. What happens when these Ionian islands are taken away from us? I don't know - but I find it scary as hell.
EDIT: my brother pointed out that it looks like I am arguing there will be no journey, not that there won't be an Ithaca. It's true that the metaphor isn't perfect - I guess what I am trying to say is that as there will be no journey because there won't be a need to strive for anything.
The poem's main message is that the journey is more important than the destination. But the secondary message, explicitly stated by the poem's narrator, is that Ithaca serves a paramount role as a destination: "without her you would not have set out". This second message is often overlooked: because one of modern society's most common afflictions is focusing too much on an arbitrary goal only to find out that achieving it doesn't really bring happiness, most people refer to the poem to remind themselves that the adventures on the way to Ithaca are more rewarding that the arrival on the island. The problem of not having an Ithaca to long to reach is less prevalent.
But I think that with the progress in AI research, we need to start paying more attention to the poem's penultimate verse. Thinkers and journalists are (rightly) highlighting the dangers of increasing AI-led automation, but important though this discussion is, it pales in comparison to the questions that face us if we manage to build super-intelligent computers.
Imagine a world where AI solves the problem of scarcity. It is so intelligent that it not only fully automates all jobs, it not only fully optimises production of goods, but it can event invent new raw materials if the ones available in nature are not sufficient. All goods are free - food, clothes, yachts, you name it. No-one needs to work anymore. Money stops existing. (As an aside, this world does pose a serious challenge: what do we do with unique goods such as land or works of art? Since no-one can offer their labour in exchange for such goods, how do those who did not own any possessions at the advent of this world acquire such unique goods? If you thought today's world is unfair to the poor, let me tell you, there might come a time when you will wish capitalists could exploit your labour.)
Moreover, this AI can not only cure diseases, but also reverse aging. It can connect humans' brains to the internet - no longer to look up anything on your phone, it's all there in your head. No need to study: you can just download all information you need, a la Matrix. It can modify our genes at conception so we are all born with genius-level intellects and Apollonian/Aphrodisian bodies.
No more heated political debate: political division has two factors, imperfect knowledge and scarcity. Since these two are now overcome, we can finally live in peace. No war, no famine, no poverty (assuming we find a solution to the aforementioned unique asset scarcity problem). No suffering, no misery.
But also, no Ithaca: no opportunities for heroism, self-sacrifice, hard work, toil, perseverance. Virtues such as honesty, charity and humility become irrelevant. Our motivators - desire for wealth and legacy, fear of death, competition - become obsolete. We won't be able to relate to our past art - regardless of how much the world has changed, the themes in ancient tragedies, myths and epics are as relevant now as they were at the time these tragedies &c were written. This will be a world where Odysseus never leaves Ithaca in the first place; worse, a world where he not only never leaves Ithaca, but starts importing lotuses (somehow convincing the lotus eaters to stop munching their fruit for a minute and trade).
What will a word like this look, or rather, feel, like? It is a world that is for all intents and purposes unimaginable to us. For thousands of years, we humans have had Ithacas to go to. What happens when these Ionian islands are taken away from us? I don't know - but I find it scary as hell.
EDIT: my brother pointed out that it looks like I am arguing there will be no journey, not that there won't be an Ithaca. It's true that the metaphor isn't perfect - I guess what I am trying to say is that as there will be no journey because there won't be a need to strive for anything.
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