On art and technology

On page 174 Azaroth tells Thuy to write about the knot, that it might help her remember the pattern so she can remember the jump sequence between branes. he says"Art's the way to know what you don't."

Focusing on the quote itself, this beings me back to my idea of art being the downfall of the human race. Of course this sounds all very dramatic and negative and sad but hear me out. Art is self-expression. I find that art is a way to know yourself, your capabilities and your limits. And what can be more enticing to work harder and to do better than to know your limits? If you know you can't so do something, don't you want to learn to do it? For the sake of argument, we'll call it a power trip-one wants what one can't have and wants to control what one cannot. Art then is self-expression turned self-examination turned self-propulsion in that it drives us to push our own limits. I'm thinking of Jeff Luty and the Nants. He constantly wants to create new and better nants.

This sounds familiar, does it not? This idea of finding new art forms, new mediums, new and better ways of expressing oneself is seen in technology as well. I then ask, where is the line between art and technology? Were we to make robots as seen on the Jetsons to serve us in our homes, maybe even be a companion to us, like little worker for example, would we not want one that looked a certain way, maybe matched the carpets and furniture or maybe looked a little like the rest of the family or maybe was just attractive in general. We can choose the colors of our computers and our cell-phones: what is this but using technology as a way to express ourselves in the same way we would through art.

Now i turn to technology and it's rapid growth. The Singularity very well may be just around the corner and as I have said numerous times before, we only have ourselves to blame, or thank, depending on how you look at it. Through this drive to express and know ourselves and our limits and to blow past them, we have put ourselves in this state of singularity. We have the power to, if we haven't already, create the technology that will destroy us.

I argue that the beauty and the ingenuity of technology is a branch from the great and glorious tree of art and that it will be the downfall of the human race. I might even go so far as to say it's worth it. I think we are constantly finding new ways to apply our ability to reason and we are constantly finding new ways to build and to create. Would it not be a waste of our capabilities if we didn't go this far? We all die, why not go for the gusto while we can? Sure art births technology which is going on turn the world on its head, burn us all alive, rape our children and enslave our grandchildren, but wasn't it one hell of a ride?