gib: I recently purchased this tablet, and i can not , as of yet reply to posts point by point, so i will try to answer You generally.
If we were to look at this problem from the point of view of examining propaganda, and subsequent paranoias of social discomfort caused by misinformation, then it could probably safely said, that, there is a lot more credible information out thee today, then, say there was at the time, when great ideologies developed, and tested. In particular, German idealism as an idea, became the focal point of the great struggles which developed during the ensuing world wars of the last century. We could start with that notion, and work down reductively, toward causes for these struggles. We then could deduce, the applicability for these causes.
We could start analysis of the words : simulacra, reality, power, control, and correlate them as devices to physical laws, which prior to quantum mechanics, sufficiently sustained the paradigms describing reality in terms of similarity. Yes, there was a time when, men could , on basis of similarity, develop trust on basis of a handshake. Similar neighborhoods engendered similar values and trust was gained by assumptions of similarity based on perceptions of commonality.
The correlations of how all that nice affordable and predictable commonality and similarity, to the changes brought on by uncertainty, as a consequence of changing physical laws, was rarely known to people living regular 9 to 5 lives. But social reality and changes in the the way reality was scientifically interpreted, had to come to some kind of “real”, understandable nexus, with actual, living testament.
This has all changed dramatically. Paradigms of ideological struggle are a thing of the past. The empirico-existentialistic model, if it can be called that, turned things upside down, the basis of our mutual appreciation of each others’ values, are more akin to validation by processes of elimination. We are more prone to evaluate each other on basis of differences in shared values. It is the difference caused by a lack of a value which determines the manner in which a person will view reality. There is a difference, from the way it used to be done, where standards were much more attuned to.
Finally, the philosopher’s stone paradigm as the illustration implies, between two levels or circles of relevance, with an affectance between them, shows what i think James implied between an inner and outer reality. This geometrization of relationships, as applied to the above simulacra, is no longer representative as figured in the diagram of the philosophers stone, since that was an ideal, representation, based on theories of similarity, congruence, relative to the steady state of pre Heisenberg physics.
If i were to say a relationship exists between the idea of Foucault’s pendulum, and the novel written by Umberto Ecco, of the same name,it may be purported to be of a very thin argument. However, for argument’s sake, it may be a worthwhile effort, to describe tangentially, to circumscribe a notion, which otherwise, directly, would not begin to make sense.
Uncertainty has brought with it not only irresolute linguistic ambiguities, within the circle , within the hermeautic of it’s meaning, but has alluded to demonstrations which no longer exemplify predictable models.
Gib, this is the best roundabout way, i was able to clarify , the points which You brought up. It intends by no means to purport to either define, or exhaust the OP’s thesis, however it does attempt to support the idea, that absent the traditional power structure-foci of the traditional geometric-triangle presentation, Philosopher’s Stone may be an outdated concept.
In the machine age of functional analysis, it is difficult to differentiate the geometric-lingistic-logical basis from the socially adaptive, environmentally changing reality of a new worldview.
So it becomes not a matter of which starting point is right Or wrong, but rather which newly emerging tacit point of view, corresponds best to a vantage point which best approximates that situation.
I feel fairly confident here of alluding the implied problems brought up, however, strictly speaking, my basis is philosophically oriented, not using physics as the take off point. Therefore my inferences may be inaccurate, but generally am confident, it is on the right track.
So as to the validity of prognosis: It is within the probabilistic future that either possibility is engendered: (or both) we may build self sustaining Al’s but at the same time, we will build ones we can control. We may even build both kinds, where cyborgs will be at war with each other. However, the good cyborg will always win, since, unless self developing and duplicating cyborgs can indeed be produced, there always will be the need for innovation. A machine capable of that, is hard to imagine.