The “Coldness” of Tech Giants: When Humans Become Code Waiting to Be Upgraded
Hello everyone, I’m your financial journalist and economist friend. Today, we’re going to discuss a very insightful article written by sociologist Sun Liping. The core argument of this article is quite startling and even a bit chilling: the “indifference” that tech giants like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel exhibit towards humans is not due to hatred, but rather because they see us as machines that can be disassembled, modified, and upgraded.
To help you understand this somewhat abstract concept, I’ve broken down the article into five key points to explain the logic and the dangers behind it in plain language.
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1. Correcting the Misunderstanding: “Re-engineering Humanity” Instead of “Shaping Human Nature”
First, let’s clarify a common translation mistake. A book titled *Re-Engineering Humanity* is often translated in Chinese as “Shaping Human Nature,” but Professor Sun Liping argues that this translation is too mild and fails to convey the cold, industrial essence of the original meaning.
What exactly does “Re-engineering Humanity” mean?
Imagine you have an old car that doesn’t perform well. What would you do?
1. You wouldn’t say, “I want to reshape your soul.”
2. Instead, you would take it apart, identify the broken parts, and replace them with newer ones to make it run faster and more efficiently.
That’s exactly what tech giants are doing with humans. In their view, humans are no longer sacred, natural, or inviolable beings; we’re seen as “modifiable systems.”
- Your way of thinking, perceiving the world, and acting are all considered “components.”
- If these components are inefficient, they can be “optimized.”
- Your current state is just an “old version” that can be improved or upgraded.
This is the source of that “coldness”: they don’t hate you, nor do they particularly love you; you’re just seen as an object waiting to be optimized, much like a piece of code viewed by an engineer, without emotion, only logic and efficiency.
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2. Peter Thiel’s Paradox: Why Does He Criticize Human Weaknesses While Making Big Money from Them?
The article mentions a famous paradox associated with Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel, which is crucial to understanding the mindset of these giants.
What theory does Thiel believe in?
He is deeply influenced by the French philosopher René Girard’s theory of the “desire for imitation.” Simply put, Girard suggests that people desire something not because it’s inherently good, but because they see others wanting it and want to join in. This desire for imitation leads to competition, conflict, and even violence. Girard views this as the root of social disorder.
What does Thiel do?
If he believed that imitation is the source of evil, he would try to eliminate it, right?
On the contrary. Thiel saw this as a huge business opportunity.
- Since human desires are driven by imitation, where does imitation occur most intensely?
- The answer is the internet and social media.
- He invested in Facebook (now Meta), which acts as a giant amplifier of this desire. When you see others buying luxury goods, traveling, or sharing their experiences, your own desires are stirred, and you start to imitate their spending habits.
What’s the result?
Thiel’s investment yielded a return of over 12,800 times. He once said, “I bet on imitation.”
What does this show?
It shows that tech giants don’t intend to “cure” human weaknesses; they use them to build their business empires. They know that people are easily manipulated, addicted, and imitative, so they design products (like algorithmic recommendations and social networks) to exploit these tendencies. This is not a moral issue; it’s an engineering one—they treat human weaknesses as input variables for their systems.
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3. The “Stars and the Ocean” Trilogy: You’re Just Fuel
With the money generated from exploiting human weaknesses, tech giants embark on bigger projects, which Sun Liping calls the “Stars and the Ocean” trilogy. Here’s a stark summary of this process:
1. Gathering Massive Data for Free: You use apps like WeChat, TikTok, and Facebook for free, but in return, your data is collected without your consent. Your preferences, location, social connections, and even emotional fluctuations become part of this data pool.
2. Amassing Resources and Capital: This data gives the giants predictive power and control greater than governments and ordinary people, attracting massive amounts of capital.
3. **Achieving the “Stars and the Ocean”: They use these resources and data to pursue their ambitious goals (such as colonizing Mars, developing universal artificial intelligence, or achieving immortality).
The most cruel part is:
In this trilogy, there’s no warmth between “us, the common people,” and these ambitious projects. You’re not the protagonist; you’re just fuel.
- Your data is fuel.
- Your attention is fuel.
- Even your job (which may be replaced by AI) is fuel.
For a future that may belong to a “new humanity,” we may be sacrificed, lose our jobs, or have our wealth exploited. This is why you feel that “coldness”—because in their grand narrative, the specific, tangible, and real you are unimportant; what matters is the abstract, future system.
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4. Two Approaches to Humanity: Musk vs. Coxon
The article concludes with the different attitudes of two leading tech figures towards the risk of human destruction, revealing two contrasting values:
Elon Musk (representing “Transhumanism/Posthumanism):
- Viewpoint: The risk of AI leading to human extinction is 10%-20%, and it could happen within a decade.
- Attitude: He believes it’s worth taking the gamble because after passing through this “dark tunnel,” we’ll enter a society of abundance with greatly improved resources and possibly a “new, superior humanity.”
- Implication: Current humans are imperfect; it’s okay to take risks for the sake of an improved future. His focus is on the “new, divine, and idealized humanity.”
Peter Coxon (representing “Humanism):
- Viewpoint: The risk exists, but he sees this as betting on the lives of individual people.
- Attitude: He would rather give up vast wealth and power than participate in such a risky gamble.
- Implication: He cares about the real, imperfect, and tangible people living in the present.
This is the essence of that “coldness”:
Tech elites like Musk think beyond the mundane world. They don’t hate humans, but they don’t respect the “people of the present.” In their eyes, current suffering, unemployment, and anxiety are just “necessary costs” or “noise” in the system’s upgrade process. This kind of thought, which abstracts and instrumentalizes human beings, is what Sun Liping calls “anti-humanism” or “transhumanism.”
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5. What Should We Do?
After reading this article, you might feel uneasy. Tech giants are redefining the value of humans in a highly rational, calm, and even cold manner.
As ordinary people, we need to be aware of the following:
1. Be wary of free offers: When using tech for free, you’re providing fuel for their projects by sharing your data, attention, and vulnerabilities.
2. Understand the source of their indifference: Their lack of concern is not personal; it’s a systemic logic. You’re seen as data points, components to be optimized, not as dignified individuals.
3. Maintain Human Consciousness: When algorithms try to predict, control, or shape you, stay critical and value your personal life and emotions. This is your last line of defense against being “re-engineered.”
4. Focus on the Present, Not the Future: Don’t blindly worship grand future visions; instead, pay attention to how these technological changes affect our lives, jobs, and dignity.
In one sentence:
Tech giants are not saving humanity; they are transforming it. They aim to create more efficient, predictable, and programmable “machines.” The “coldness” they exhibit is not malicious; it’s a systemic lack of humanity. We need to recognize this to protect our humanity in this world dominated by algorithms.