Several years ago, we rented a large pickup truck. As a joke, I posted a photo of myself standing beside the shiny new truck in our driveway, with the caption, “Our new truck.” I received many positive comments before I confessed my prank. I’m sure some of my friends were genuinely happy for me. But perhaps, if they knew me better, they would have suspected my post was in jest.
We all believe what we want to believe. The real photo and the false caption led some of my friends to believe that I bought a new truck. Maybe some still believe I did. And I’m sure many don’t care. Nevertheless, it strikes me that we can be easily misled. Especially if we don’t give much thought to someone’s assertion. Is it possible they are telling the whole truth? Sure. But, given what I know about them, is it probable? What am I being led to believe? In the world of AI, we must be doubly careful.
The few have often misled the many. Countless wars have been launched in the name of patriotism or righteousness, or rather, arrogance or hubris. Many have followed those who persuaded or bullied them into doing their bidding. It’s difficult to name a conflict that wasn’t “sold” to the people –God is with us – don’t let them take away our way of life –our people are superior – we are the chosen, they are “evil” – fight for what’s right! The “enemy” must be sufficiently dehumanized. They’re not people with families, but animals, vermin, or demons. We must believe these things – if we want to win.
The question that arose at the Nuremberg Trials is still relevant. “Who would do such a thing?” My answer: we all would. We’re doing it now. Persuaded by nationalism, religion, and powerful propaganda, we have authorized our leaders to lay waste to our opponents. We have sanctioned the slaughter of innocent people. For what? Our supremacy? Our greed? Our desire for power? Or perhaps we have just silently consented because there isn’t anything we can do about it? At least it’s not happening to us. So far.
In the animal kingdom, predators select “lunch” from the herd buffet. Except for when a mother fights back to save her young, the herd simply accepts the loss and moves on. “Too bad he got eaten, but we’ll live to see another day.” And predators are persistent. Their prey may run or hide, but in the end, some will be sacrificed “for the greater good.”
I’m beginning to wonder if humans are really any better than other animals in this regard. Our leaders often speak of “acceptable losses” or “collateral damage” as if we are no different than a herd that will arrive at the water hole minus some who began the journey with us. We humans, at least, have the potential to negotiate, to minimize our losses, to seek a better plan than “kill or be killed.” But often we haven’t. Mass extinctions caused by volcanic eruptions or asteroid impacts are not the same as mass graves caused by powerful, self-serving men.
For a long time, I believed we humans could do better. Now, I’m not so sure. People have faced the same temptations for thousands of years. And whenever they have been told to destroy, conquer, and kill, they have. The leaders of the Nazi party had more power than everyone else, but inside they were the same. We all tend to seek advantages for ourselves while we turn a blind eye to others. We all want our nations to be great and our people to be strong, even if their nations struggle and their people suffer. We reserve our best opinions for ourselves or those who are like us.
It comes down to what we believe. Animals act on their instincts. At best they can learn who to trust and who not to. I’ve learned that if I want a dog to trust me, I must first be trustworthy. It’s no different for humans. Leaders can lead their followers into temptation rather than delivering them from evil. Unfortunately, they often lead them into evil and encourage them to act on their worst temptations.
Maybe we should be more like mama bears and stand up to bullies. Maybe we should be more like papa guard dogs and resist predators. Maybe we should find ways to believe that there is good in other people rather than following leaders who profit from our ignorance and gain power from our fears. We all believe what we want to believe. The question is, what do we want to believe?
MurrayWorks 