Transhumanist Wager, The (62 page)

“Additionally, do not tell me that
the world will become overpopulated and environmentally unsound if humans no
longer die. The Earth can handle ten times more people than it has now, if
properly managed with care for our environment and limited resources. With
reason and scientific technological fixes, we can readily grow the population
of creators and innovators on this planet without compromising the Earth’s
environment. Besides, in less than a century, most of you will not be
biological anymore. You will already be part machine, part cyborg, part
whatever the evolutionary course takes for us to become stronger and more adept.
Many of your ecological, resource, and material concerns and fears will become
irrelevant—just like myriad past worries and foibles in our species’ history.

“Furthermore, do not tell me that
if the human race morphs into superior forms—such as cyborgs, conscious
machines, and even artificial intelligences—the magic and mystery of the
universe will be lost. No such thing will happen. The universe has far more
magic and mystery than our small human brains can currently know. You may
believe that the thoughts, actions, and experiences of an artificial entity
will be cold, sterile, superficial, and meaningless. What utter nonsense. These
new entities will have more capacity and potential than humans ever did, and
they will quickly become the greatest, most complex, most interesting beings
and forces on the planet. The species transhumanists create and evolve into in
the near future will have the power and intelligence of thousands, if not
millions, of human beings combined. And in that new, noble world, we shall find
plenty to keep our interests hearty. We shall finally begin to see how big the
universe truly is and how it really operates. That not-so-distant future will
prove far more magical and mysterious than where we are now.

“Finally, do not tell me that God,
or some infinite justice, or some imaginary karma, will come and redeem the
human race, and punish Transhumanians for their arrogance and evil. Stop hoping
for such nonsense. Your twisted fairy tales have left you feeble and naive. We,
the transhumanists, are now in charge. And we are asking you to join us and to
contribute to the new world.

“People of Earth, these are my
final words: The moment has arrived for a new philosophy, morality, culture,
and intellectual vibrancy for the planet, prompted by the leadership of
transhumanists and a worldwide futurization of values. New ethics and rules
will emerge. That is the nature of the transformation. Transhumanists will
undergo great change in order to become their best and most advanced selves.
Ultimately, we will evolve into stronger, more durable, more ideal beings. Form
follows function is the strategy of a perfect entity; it will come to dominate
our behavior over the coming centuries. This is the natural course of
evolution, the most rational course. You may say we are monsters because we
will soon amputate our limbs and cut out our organs, and replace them with
better synthetic, robotic, and cybernetic parts. Or because some of us already
have computer chips in our heads, enhancing our lives and behaviors. Or because
we adhere to an egotistical, unforgiving set of ethics that favors the
individual and the rise of undemocratic technology. But those of you who
survive long enough into the future will all act and think like that.

“The coming androids, cyborgs,
thinking robots, artificial intelligence systems, and other transhuman entities
in our civilization will operate off different ethics than do purely biological
beings. Their value systems will be sounder, less emotionally fragmented, more
purely related to computational logic, and free of baggage culture and archaic
instincts. They may not need food; they may not need sunlight; they may not
need air. They may not even need the Earth at all anymore. They will be
stronger and more resilient than we are. Those are all the reasons
Transhumanians will promote them—and why we will transform ourselves into them.
We transhumanists are on an ascent from being frail, disease-prone savages to
being conscious, self-designed entities that may never need health maintenance
again. And after that, who knows what we will become and how far we will
evolve.

“I hope you are beginning to see
what the new world will be like. I hope you are beginning to understand the
bold power of transhumanism and the superlative difference it will make in your
lives. I especially hope each one of you will make the right choice now that
the Transhumanist Wager has been offered to you. Don’t be imprudent and dismiss
the opportunity to improve yourselves and your existence. Cast off your stifling
baggage culture and the outdated instincts pervading your thoughts and
ambitions. Question everything, learn as much as you can, and use reason to
help you see the truth. I tell you now: The end of the human species as you
know it is upon us. Prepare yourself for it. Don’t fear it. Embrace it.
Contribute to it. You will become more yourself—your best self, your
transhuman
self.

 “If you want to join us, now is
your chance. Stand up for yourself and against your own ineptitude, and help us
produce and fulfill the transhuman mission. The transhuman mission is stated in
the
TEF Manifesto
, which each original Transhumanian citizen has
accepted. It says:
The transhuman mission is to pursue the most expedient
course an individual can take to reach one's most powerful and advanced self,
whose
primary purpose is to overcome anything that gets in the way of
that goal; namely, death.

“Otherwise, if you do not agree
with us and with our mission, if you choose to refuse the logic and sensibility
of the Transhumanist Wager, then get out of the way—or be thrown out of the
way. We have a new world to forge. And we will not stop until we achieve it.

“May the Transhuman Revolution last
forever.”

Chapter 34

People all around the globe
listened, humiliated and terrified.

Many were also fiercely outraged.
How dare someone threaten to push them back into the Dark Ages! How dare some
tiny clan decide the fate of all peoples on Earth! How could God or Jesus or
Allah or Krishna let this happen? Where was that higher power? Where was divine
intervention?

Everywhere, people wished their
gods and prophets would do something. They wished their governments and
politicians would do something. They wished their friends and neighbors would
do something. All their wishing was in vain. All their fury, devotion, prayers,
and longstanding convictions were now for nothing. No one could do anything for
them. Their egos had blinded them; their leaders had failed them; their fellow
citizens were too weak and ignorant to help them. Their own fears, emotions,
and heartfelt beliefs in higher powers were revealed as nothing but silly
superstitions, like those of the Stone Age humans who worshiped the moon and
sun, tens of thousands of years ago.

A vast swath of the human race was
defeated. By themselves. By those who are stronger and smarter than they are.
By those who declared in a final way:
You are not necessary to us unless you
add value to our lives.

Amongst the billions around the
world, a scant few rejoiced. They voiced their opinions to others. They tried
to explain, pleading, "Aren't you listening to them? Don't you see they
are smarter than we are, work harder than we do, and make more of themselves
than we do? They are saying to join them in the brilliantly new and unlimited
twenty-first century—the age when anything is possible on Earth. And, do you
know what? They are right. Furthermore, they are inspiring. Perhaps most
importantly, they are straightforward and rational about everything. They are
not the lip-servicing, finger-pointing, welfare-promising leaders who strangled
and sunk the world into irrationality and mediocrity. And that is precisely the
reason they can give us so much more."

Soon, others began to agree,
adding, "Even that’s not as important as this: Who fundamentally cares who
our leaders are right now, as long as we ourselves are not enslaved? What are
transhumanists asking us to do? Thrive in our careers. Live longer and
healthier lives. Become educated. Strive after the best in ourselves. Give our
families a better future. Support technology and the evolutionary advancement
of our species instead of supporting a conservative, superstitious,
collectivist planet. What’s wrong with that?"

For many people, a few days of
contemplation were enough. The sun still rose the following morning; companies
still expected employees to show up for their jobs; bills still needed to be
paid for services; food still needed to be grown and harvested. Everything was
essentially the same. Except now, there were rules in place that meant more of
the money and resources hard-working people earned went into their own pockets,
and less went to the slackers and freeloaders around the world who didn’t want
to work—or to the politicians who promised those slackers and freeloaders
undeserved healthcare, food, and free money.

Inevitably, the initial shock and
humiliation wore off. More and more people started to consider the new rules of
the future and the brave possibilities as a chance to rid themselves of the
mighty global recession. It wasn't an easy transition or one without massive
upheaval. A great chaos ensued, as looting and crime spiked throughout the
world. To counter this, Transhumania ordered all policemen’s and soldiers’
salaries around the world doubled, to keep them working and fulfilling their
duties. They were instructed to execute criminals on-site if they were caught
in illegal acts. Curfews were put in place and martial law was installed. More
robots and drones were built to help with peacekeeping.

Currencies, commodity, and stock-trading
exchanges around the world were temporarily frozen at exactly the monetary
amounts at which they had been the day before the Transhumanian bombing raids.
This helped curb economic chaos as well as price fluctuations on everyday
goods. Business executives and entrepreneurs around the world were given
extensive power and government IOUs to keep their companies functioning and
surviving. All utility companies distributing power, natural gas, and water
were told to operate without fail. Trash collection, sewer service, and road
maintenance all continued. The Internet was made to work efficiently and
flawlessly. Banks were forced to keep their doors open and to render services
normally. Schools, institutes, and universities were ordered to continue classes
and to begin preparing for enormous future expansion of their curricula and
student populations.

If country rulers, politicians, and
officials tried to negotiate or hold on to their former power, they were killed
by robots patrolling the planet on Transhumanian aircraft. Jethro Knights also
insisted that a large number of important international politicians, revered
religious leaders, and royal families—like the President of the United States,
the Ayatollahs, and the monarchs of England and the Middle East—be publicly
removed from their domains of power. These well-known leaders and families had
all their wealth confiscated too, including their extravagant residences, their
jets, their yachts, their cars, and their bank accounts—essentially, everything
they owned or possessed.

The Transhumania News Network, IMN,
and other television reporters broadcast the dramatic occurrences, which
included forcefully removing the high-fliers from their castles, temples, and
mansions. They also filmed provocative images of large military trucks carrying
away valuables: family heirlooms, famous artworks, ornate jewelry pieces, and
sacred religious relics. Everything collected was deposited to be destroyed or
sold in the newly established TANIP, the Transhumania Agency of New
Infrastructure and Projects. The same public dismantling happened to known
warlords, gang leaders, corrupt business people, and mafia bosses, as well as
anyone who tried to gain localized power during the transitional chaos. 

Once members of former governments
and other influential people around the world saw what became of their top
leaders and those who attempted to grab power, they quickly became willing to
cooperate in order to keep their jobs, wealth, status, and safety.

It took almost twelve months for
the upheaval on the continents to dissipate, but eventually countries
stabilized, and the masses realized that little had changed in their immediate
lives. Except that stronger leaders were now in place—ones who were much more
honest, direct, and prolific. Ones who could quickly lead the planet into
advanced globalization and unprecedented prosperity. These new leaders—all
handpicked Transhumanians—coordinated with existing officials of bested
countries to create huge, novel industries that jump-started economic reform.
Massive infrastructure projects were initiated, providing many millions of new
jobs and fresh careers for people around the world. Ground was broken on
hundreds of gargantuan learning centers, schools, and universities. Taxes
across the globe were lowered to a straight 15 percent for everyone: rich or
poor, healthy or sick, a Transhumania supporter or not.

Jethro Knights forced all
international borders open on the six populated continents, declaring the whole
world “Transhumania.” He initiated a single currency, the TEF Unit—a ubiquitous
virtual currency. Over the next five years, all other physical monies would
eventually be converted into the new currency. These changes simplified life;
people moved wherever they wanted, whenever they saw opportunity and the
possibility to prosper.

************

Senator Gregory Michaelson and his
family were forced into hiding with Senator Shuman and other top U.S.
dignitaries. They managed to escape Transhumania's drones by disappearing into
the underground chambers of Camp Anderson, located deep in the Utah desert. But
their communication with the outside world was permanently cut off when Oliver
Mbaye ordered all military satellite antennas in the area scrambled.