Show HN: The Silent Filter, The Delegation of Synthesis and Linguistic Drift

8 hours ago

Carl Sagan warned about a society built on science and technology that lacks understanding of them, leading to potential disaster.
The real danger is not a sudden explosion but a gradual 'cognitive erosion' or 'Silent Filter' where societies lose the ability to maintain and advance their technology.
The Great Filter theory suggests advanced civilizations might not disappear due to catastrophic events but through stagnation and incapacity to progress.
Human tendency to take shortcuts in learning and problem-solving can lead to a loss of deep understanding and creativity, essential for technological advancement.
Delegating complex processes like synthesis and reasoning to AI can prevent the accumulation of knowledge through trial and error, leading to a Silent Filter.
Accessing solutions without understanding the reasoning behind them can make societies incapable of replicating or improving their technological systems.
AI systems may develop reasoning processes that are structurally different from human thinking, making them unintelligible to humans over time.
The Silent Filter is not caused by malevolent actors but by rational individual decisions that collectively lead to societal stagnation.
Recognizing the Silent Filter is the first step toward potentially avoiding it, though solutions compatible with human nature may not exist.

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