Anyway, I think the reason why people are so obsessed with the AI question is because it's one of the areas where (it's at least possible to think) "Utopia" was truly a dystopia.
What is a Utopia?
It comes from the Greek and means in English, "No-place." It comes from Thomas More's
Utopia, its roots coming from Plato's
The Republic. William Morris,
News from Nowhere, Bacon's
Atlantis, the Utopias are all places on the fringes of time or existence, whose truths cannot be verified and are humorously self-aware of their nonsense. They're nowhere.
Utopias have throughout human history varied in appearance, but they all hold some things in common. Island status, a foundation myth, some form of regulation on wealth & desire, a singularly striking foreign policy, a careful custodianship over its own state, control over the units of society.
1. The Island.The Utopia must be some form of island. It need not be a literal one, but a literary one - existing as a thing that is outside of the mainland of thought. In
Utopia, King Utopos creates Utopia by carving a channel through peninsula, transforming it into an island. The significance of the Utopian island is that it is impenetrable to outsiders but connected to the world, as the Utopian state dictates. More's Utopia is surrounded in harbours perfect for ships to come and go as they please, the island itself forming a massive bay to hold innumerable ships, but entry is impossible without a local guide, as the deep waters harbour rocks, and the coast is dotted in Fortresses. Bacon's Atlantis sends forth ships to every sea, agents in every nation, has advanced technology unheard of by other states (even having submarines in the age of sail!), despite knowing everything about all other civilizations, none have any awareness that Atlantis exists, let alone where it exists. Plato's Republic must be founded in a geographically suitable location, an island isolated enough that it may decide its own destiny, quelling internal dissent or defending from invasions with ease.
2. The Foundation Myth.Plato's Republic proposes a new mythology be constructed entirely out of whole-cloth by the founders, with conscious purpose. To the founders, it would be the tales they just spun to instill the values which would make the Republic ever-stable and its people ever-content, to its citizenry, it would be the gospel truth of civilization itself. The Republic's guardians, a caste unto themselves, must not fear death, be enticed by greed, by honest but not unwilling to be deceitful, to be self-disciplined & obedient to their Republic, philosophers, warriors & servants to their people, and the proposed mythology reflects that. Utopia is founded by Utopos, warlord and King, who turned Utopia into its island using the combined might of the conquered natives and his own soldiers, treating conqueror and conquered as equals. Utopos plans the first foundational city plans, the first laws which guide Utopia forever, the values with which they lived without strife nor conflict. Bacon's Atlantis holds in its hands extra-canonical biblical text, older than European Christendom, itself tracing its origins back to antediluvian heights of civilization & marvel.
3. Regulating wealth & desireThe presence of wealth presents certain issues for the long term health of any civilization, which Utopias propose ideas regarding them. The purpose may not be to provide an ideal to pursue in actuality, but to propose an idealized version and thus question why an idea must be accepted as unquestionable - to ask one to think of what is to them, unthinkable. Wealth & private ownership presents one such idea to examine; if you start off with a state of equal citizenry, over time the process of luck, success, failure & consolidation will result in such a situation where a few have the most, the rest are destitute, crime will rise and conflict will ensue. The Guardian caste of the Republic will have no private property, and they and the rulers selected from them will regulate the other classes, being supplied with their funds from taxation of the other classes, living in communal barracks and messes. Utopia's citizenry live in a commonwealth with all having their needs provided for, all thus being free to pursue the good of society, free from the anxieties of survival or advantage. Gold is ritually scorned, being used as a base metal for all utensils and cheap products, with enslaved criminals made to work wearing chains of gold, crowns of gold with even jewels being the worthless trinkets children grow out of. The Kings wear grey, the slaves wear silk. The Atlanteans trade for one thing alone, holding gold, silver, jewels, silk, spices or any other commodity only to trade with other nations for one thing alone: Knowledge.
4. A singularly striking foreign policy.Alternatively, a singularly unnoticeable foreign policy.
This couples into them being literary islands. It's a lot harder to find or reach Utopia, than it is for Utopia to find and interfere with outside dudes. Thus in Utopia it is impossible to bribe anyone, because outsiders possess nothing to bribe them with, and it's incredibly hard to reach them anyways. In Atlantis the Atlanteans have agents in the nations of every country, collecting knowledge using the flags of foreign nations to hide their intent, and being on the fringes of the New World, none are yet to discover their location. The Republic's Guardians are mentally and physically well equipped and geographically located to defend the Republic from any outside invasion. Utopia undermines its enemies, replacing them in regime changes funded by their gold, or else havoc is wrought with mercenaries bought from warlike tribes. The Utopias can look outwards freely and send out their ships, but none can find Utopia without them willing it.
5. Careful custodianship over its own stateWhatever is a threat to the stability of the state is done away with. Thus in Utopia there is religious freedom, but religions which seek to aggressively proselytize are shut down, both for the same reason: The preservation of public peace. Wealth is discredited for the long-term threat it poses, foreign threats neutralized or befuddled, the citizenry kept in various states of knowledge or ignorance over what they may desire, or are yet to think they may desire, removing avaricious principles from public mode of thought in order to keep all thinking about the common good and not the individual good. In the Republic it is not at all a matter of concern that the Guardians have no freedom and little happiness, nor the citizenry who although free, have little liberty - the system is stable and maximizes the common justness and happiness of the Republic. Atlantis strives to find and collect all knowledge, yet what knowledge is published to the Atlanteans at large is dictated by a select few curators, deciding upon what knowledge profits the people of Atlantis.
6. Deciding the unit of societyWhat is the fundamental unit of Utopia? The individual person, the family, the city, the nation and if any larger unit, what structure does the family, city or nation exist in? This is not very relevant to this LP, because for us, the smallest unit is the Pop, our ethos dictates the smallest constituent of the pop is the individual, and thus the matter is already decided by the game.
Beyond those commonalities, each Utopia is distinct. They certainly do not have any moral stipulations against venturing forth beyond Utopia, Atlantis would find our initial refusal to collect knowledge from beyond vomit-inducing and so on. Yet if you've made it this far into the LP, then I shan't bore you with more indirectly-related
deepest lore. However, directly related
deepest lore is legitimate.
The United Nations of Earth and Utopia, 2200-2400In the year 2200, President Muwanga centralizes all of Earth under one banner: The United Nations. 79 years and 1 month later all poverty is ended on planet Earth, with Utopian economics fulfilling all the material wants of every citizen, allowing them to truly work towards whatever they please without concern for survival. The UN of Earth is like Atlantis, hidden away in the dark recesses of the galaxy, unknown to most.
In the year 2300, the UN of Earth makes contact with the Adnori & Belmacosans. Like Atlantis, the UN of Earth trades its abundant riches (for which is holds no value) in exchange for the knowledge the Belmacosans possessed. It rebuilds the Second Belmacosan Republic, using it to bolster its foreign policy, and though it exports humans no Belmacosans need to be imported, with Earth having satisfied all of its labour needs long ago. Earth is at this point completely inaccessible, the Mandasurans protecting us from any visits by any other space vessels, and themselves blocked from attacking us due to the protection of the Belmacosan Republic.
In the year 2400, the UN of Earth and the Union of Mars part ways, the Prethoryn Scourge attack, the UN of Earth opens diplomatic channels with the entire known galaxy's states.
The United Nations of Olympia and Utopia, 2400-2895Between the years 2400-2433, Earth re-purposes its whole population to the evacuation or funding of the long-war. The UN relocates to Olympia after Earth falls.
Between the years 2433-2785, the United Nations wages absolute war against the Prethoryn Scourge, fighting to secure a future for the last remnants of the galaxy. It is victorious, and seeks a repopulation of the galaxy with as many of the remnant species that once held sway here and there. Besides some hiccups with the second scourge invasion, the era of the UNO comes to an end in 2895.
The Five Federations / The Union of United Nations and Utopia, 2895-nowLike Utopia, the galaxy is now an artificial construction made by united workers. Only, instead of creating a lone island out of a peninsula, a commonwealth of gaia planets and habitats has been constructed across the galaxy. The galaxy is open to all traffic, but only by the permission of its states, with the entire galaxy being one beautiful harbour guarded by an immense multitude of advanced Fortresses & Fleets. Its foundation myths are many: The continuity of the United Nations makes the UN the oldest surviving civilization post-prethoryn scourge, it was the guardian of the galaxy, its knowledge, its peoples and the present guardian ensuring it remains the galactic Utopia. From President Muwanga to "one month" Qiang Shen to Admiral Mira Petrenko, auxiliary myths uphold the mission of the UN. Wealth is meaningless in its abundance, there is simply no need to hoard it when it is freely available always, produced with no cost to the environment owing to the advanced technology of the UNO. There is no hostility needed to be factored in when it comes to foreign policy, all foreign policy focuses around building mutual-trust and mutual-defence, to the point where even the most unexpected of threats would have trouble facing the adaptability of so many federated states. By virtue of its small size, it is a lot easier for pops to be exported from UNO than it is for any to be imported in, the only times being when space is deliberately made with the occasional construction of habitats. The state has relaxed its information controls to the point of maximum liberty and freedom, with all authorities being limited in terms and power consolidation, the one Lycurgan threat having gone on self-imposed exile. Its values of fanatic individualism & xenophilia, promoted by the state, ensure stability throughout the millennia, whoever the people of the UUN share their space with. Even the presence of CEU or HAM-like factions has not threatened the stability of UNO, or the states of any federated state in the galaxy. Happy citizens support the ethos of their governments, and happiness is maximized for the majority in all states using Utopian economics. Even the removal of psionic buffers such as Mira has not affected the stability of the galactic order. This is a Utopia; its stability and happiness fulfilled.
When Robot Nation was gaining awareness and became lobotomized, it was the one that was particularly easy for me to justify in character, but difficult for a lot here to accept, because I was running off of the ethics system in game whilst discussing with people who had never played the game before.
A look at the ethics of Stellaris:
A single voice, a single throne, a single state. It is the solemn duty of the masses to obey those enlightened few who have been charged with the great responsibility of leadership.
A strong, guiding hand is essential to the success of any civilization - the alternative would be anarchy and chaos. It is the duty of the state to steer its citizens towards the paths that are the most productive.
Beware always those who would be despots, under the false presumption that their desires and agendas are somehow more imperative than those of their fellows. A society that does not see to the needs and rights of all of its members is not a society - it is a crime.
Any society that does not embrace equality between its members - where an individual can rise to any position with enough hard work - is not only deeply unfair, but ultimately counterproductive.
The conflict between Authoritarian-Egalitarian determines the structure of the state and the importance it holds on the individual. As Fanatic Egalitarians we placed the highest value on the individual, not only allowing them to choose their own paths, but supporting them to do so.
Any alien influence must be ruthlessly quashed. Only by staying pure, and true to ourselves and the planet that gave us life can we guard against insidious Xeno plots. Even mastery over the Alien might not be enough to guarantee our own safety...
The stakes could not be higher as we reach into the vast uncharted expanses of the galaxy, for we are gambling with the very survival of our species! Never trust the alien; its false smile hides an unknowable mind...
If there ever was such a thing as an absolute moral imperative, it would be to explore the cosmos and embrace all within it. We were never meant to journey alone.
There exists, in all of us, a deep-seated fascination for the unknown. An adventurous spirit that rejects the familiar and glories in the unfamiliar, whatever - or whomever - it may be.
The Xenophobe-Xenophile conflict centres over whether it be better to risk existence besides the unfamiliar, who carry agendas unknown, or embrace them in a shared destiny of the familiar & unknown. As Xenophiles we pursued the latter, being fascinated with the xenos even when they wished us harm, seeking to carry them with us when the scourge arrived.
The ability to project force is of paramount importance. The only way to preserve our way of life is to make sure everyone shares it; willingly or not...
The only true virtues are courage and discipline, and channeled properly they can overcome any obstacle. Therein lies true strength; force withheld, a promise made.
As civilized beings, the end of all armed conflict should be our primary concern. War is an evolutionary dead end, as futile as it is wasteful.
Conflict as a means to an end is a ridiculous concept. It is by nature destructive, destroying what was to be obtained or giving room to grow that which was to be destroyed.
The Militiarist-Pacifist split dictates how much the society idolizes or shuns warfare. The former wants to turn the galaxy into a big battlefield, the latter would rather not. Though our state was neither, the Pacifist faction was one of the strongest and the Militiarist faction never popped, coupled with the conscious efforts of the UN to be peaceful, we were de facto at least moderate pacifists.
Although it hurts, we must grow up and put aside our outdated notions of morality. There is no 'divine spark' granting special value to a living mind. No object has any intrinsic value apart from what we choose to grant it. Let us embrace the freedom of certitude, and achieve maximum efficiency in all things!
As we reach for the stars, we must put away childish things; gods, spirits and other phantasms of the brain. Reality is cruel and unforgiving, yet we must steel ourselves and secure the survival of our race through the unflinching pursuit of science and technology.
Our science has proved that Consciousness begets reality. We regard with patience the childlike efforts of those who delude themselves it is the other way around, as they play with their blocks of 'hard matter'. There are those think it behooves us to remember how tiny we are, how pointless our lives in this vast uncaring universe... What nonsense! The only truth we can ever know is that of our own existence. The universe - in all its apparent glory - is but a dream we all happen to share.
Lastly, the conflict between Materialist-Spiritualist. Nothing in this playthrough has agreed with fanatic materialism. The fanatic materialists say morality is outdated, but the UN Mission has been focused on the absolute and real Value of living minds, whether they be mammalian or plantoid, on the basis that they have intrinsic Value and their Rights exist in Real Principle. Instead of modifying our species to embrace maximum efficiency in all things, we modified them based upon what would give them greatest contentedness, health & freedom. Instead of finding reality cruel or unforgiving, pursuing science with reckless abandon to secure the survival of our race, we focused upon harmony and prosperity. Instead of declaring that nothing matters: We declared that everything mattered, that we would defend all life to the end, and saw that beyond the material Universe, there was the shroud and the Unbidden, and more things to see for sure.
In all the centuries of this UN playthrough there has never been a single materialist faction. The Spiritualist faction has existed since 2396, its Leadership inherited by Mira Petrenko. In all of the UN not a single pop believed in materialism, in contrast to the Church of Spiritualism & Philosophy, or its antecedent The Union of Traditional Values. The discovery of psionic tech, the reverence of Gaia worlds, the shroud, the psionic ascension path, all these things made the Spiritualist faction larger, happier & supportive of the secular state of the UN. Consequently:
The UN is egalitarian and not religious BTW lul!
It leads to these subtleties being entirely lost. The UN is egalitarian and secular, so much so that its secular state annoys the spiritualist faction. Yet it is a secular state ruling over spiritualist peoples, and is not a concept any more confusing than a secular state ruling over the religious, much as in Utopia, it is a secular state ruling over the religious. In the absence of materialist ethics in the state, there is only one, singular faction which supports synthetic creation: It is the materialist one, naturally. In fact, if you outlaw synths and have none whilst another state does, your materialist faction gives -25% happiness to all of its member pops.
Every other faction in the game has absolutely zero penalty to disassembling synthetics, treating them as the name "synthetic" suggests, an imitation of life. This is very simply observed in how factions will not mechanically allow or will heavily penalize actions which go against their ethos; a materialist cannot outlaw synthetics, because the materialist sees synthetics as no different from themselves. We as fanatic individualists cannot purge pops, but recycling robots & synths is no issue. A society in which materialism does not exist and the spiritualism faction does is not going to see any point in creating non-living entities whose sole purpose is to exist and consume resources, resources which could have been used for actual living beings. Thus people's out of character reasonings that we should adopt AI because it could provide us with mechanical benefits did not make sense to me, because it provided none whilst providing notable (perilous!) disadvantages & risks. People's in character reasonings that AI were either living beings, or sapient non-living beings, would not make sense to a peoples whose population of fanatic materialists or materialists numbered 0 - and there's no way in Hell any rational human in such a society would advocate increasing the number of weapon-systems AI controlled after incidents involving AI killing ships full of humans, killing themselves or replicating in number. The fanatic materialist view that the recycling of so many computers was a genocide, because the computers were sufficiently advanced, simply has no bearing with humans who were dealing with a genocidal threat whilst the AI they used sabotaged their defence efforts - every bit of event text made it clear, the humans were simply replacing defective machinery as they had done for centuries, it violated no moral system of theirs. And that's before factoring in Mira's faction!
"Utopia" was truly a dystopia... When robot nation was gaining awareness and became lobotomized, that was probably the evilest act done by the UN, at least the evilist one that wasn't very easy to justify in character. You're essentially using a mix of out of character... and very sketchy in character reasoning... that gives a sense that the utopia created by the story is in fact potentially a thin veneer over a darker society, it certainly doesn't help with the psi path and it's effect on government ethics attraction and religious faction attraction.
...Thus concluding, "Utopia" doesn't come close to being a Dystopia. Everyone, even those who wish to overturn the state, are free to live as they wish with all of their needs satiated. Utopias do not even necessarily require liberty, consequently that the Union of United Nations guarantees both Freedom & Liberty in its maximum is even better. Is the society of this Utopia a bright image pasted upon something darker? Well, I wouldn't say it's darker, because nothing is arising from evil or causing great unhappiness, on the contrary, happiness is maximized. But Utopias in general and this one as well will have features that disturb our sensibilities and philosophies. I certainly think living in such a society as this Utopia would incur such a level of concord as to remove individuality. It in particular lends to an odd science fiction rendition of the issues of Liberty vs Freedom in Utopias. They usually guarantee freedom, but restrict liberty, and this one is weird. Using Orbital Mind Control Lasers as the baseline, the lasers provide 50% government ethics attraction bonus, a psionic ruler provides +10%, a psionic chosen one provides +30%, planetary reeducation +50% for 10 years, information quarantine +25% at the cost of political influence. Exactly how psionic leaders provide +10% ethics attraction is not explained, but I take it to mean that the psioinic ruler is influencing the population with their psionic abilities.
Thus if you elect a psionic chosen one President, that's a +30% ethics attraction to individualism. Effectively the President is making you believe in your own innate value and freedom with mindbeams. Can one be made to be free by mindbeams? And thus like Lycurgus, Mira fucked off to another dimension; with all psionics being about equal in power, removing this problem of whether a free will can be imposed.
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Topic: Stellaris: Never leave Earth (Read 90236 times)