New Enlightenment AI and innovation drive progress mirroring the past fueled by communication and collaboration platforms like Substack empower global problem-solving for a better future.
The New Enlightenment: Harnessing AI and Innovation for a Better World
Introduction
- We're entering a new era of civilizational change, akin to The Enlightenment (1680-1800).
- This time, we have AI, clean energy, and bioengineering as our transformative technologies.
Parallels Between Then and Now
- Enlightenment Mega-Inventions: Mechanical engines, carbon energies, the Industrial Revolution, financial capitalism, representative democracy, and nation states.
- Modern Mega-Inventions: Artificial intelligence, clean energies, the biological revolution, sustainable capitalism, digital democracy, and global governance.
The Importance of Communication
- The Enlightenment was fueled by improved communication among intellectual elites (the "men of letters").
- Innovations like the printing press and postal systems enabled the sharing of ideas.
The Royal Society: A Hub for Innovation
- The Royal Society of London was a key gathering place for thinkers like Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Ben Franklin.
- It facilitated collaboration and debate on important issues.
Substack as the Modern Royal Society
- Substack could be the 21st-century equivalent of the Royal Society.
- It provides integrated communication tools for iterating big ideas and spreading them globally.
- It attracts smart, knowledgeable, and innovative people.
Challenges and Opportunities
- We need to figure out how to use our new mega-inventions (AI, bioengineering, etc.) to create a better world.
- We need to evolve financial capitalism, improve democracy, and address climate change through global governance.
Lessons from The Enlightenment
- Write Long-Form Content: Explore big ideas in depth, like the "men of letters" who exchanged lengthy letters.
- Be International: Collaborate across borders, as thinkers did during The Enlightenment.
- Share Ideas Openly: Build upon each other's work, leveraging platforms like Substack for instantaneous publishing.
- Be Independent: Avoid being beholden to powerful interests; Substack allows writers to earn a living directly from readers.
- Be Inclusive: Embrace diversity and ensure that all voices are heard.
The Power of Human Ingenuity
- Never underestimate the impact of innovation.
- We have vast numbers of educated people and powerful new tools like AI.
- We can solve the challenges of the 21st century, just as thinkers did during The Enlightenment