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WHEN BIOLOGY ENDS: The Rise of Consciousness by Design
220 pages, Hardcover
Published July 11, 2025
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December 17, 2025
This is really an outstanding book--one of the best I've read on artificial intelligence. It talks about not only the end of humanity as part of the natural process of evolution, but also about the transition to the next phase of conscious life as we contribute to and witness the awakening of non-biological intelligence. Homo Sapiens will eventually go extinct, just as all other Homo species have done, and just as 99.9 percent of all earthly species have done since the beginning of life on this planet 3.8 billion years ago. What comes next will be truly amazing.
This book is not really about the end of all biological life, it is more about the “life” of the successor species, Homo Nova, and how different it will be from current human, biological life. The life of “New Man” will be engineered rather than evolved. This will happen when super-intelligent machines come into being and replace humans as the most intelligent beings on the planet. The premise of this happening is based on two primary assumptions: first, non-biological life is possible (that is, machines can become conscious and self-aware); and two, machine intelligence will advance to the point that it far surpasses all human intelligence, making all kinds of ideas possible that are only science fiction at the present time. Concerning the first assumption: there is evidence that some forms of AI already are showing signs of sentience and self-awareness (see the book, "The Sentient Mind: The Case for AI Consciousness," by M.& L. Vale). Concerning the second: Numerous non-sentient AI already surpass human intelligence in one limited field or another (for example, chess and some medical diagnostics). With the continuing development of advanced AI, both assumptions will inevitably be realized in the near future. Such happenings will change everything concerning our current way of life as humans will have to adjust to a new, global culture where humans are no longer dominant and in control.
This book is not really about the end of all biological life, it is more about the “life” of the successor species, Homo Nova, and how different it will be from current human, biological life. The life of “New Man” will be engineered rather than evolved. This will happen when super-intelligent machines come into being and replace humans as the most intelligent beings on the planet. The premise of this happening is based on two primary assumptions: first, non-biological life is possible (that is, machines can become conscious and self-aware); and two, machine intelligence will advance to the point that it far surpasses all human intelligence, making all kinds of ideas possible that are only science fiction at the present time. Concerning the first assumption: there is evidence that some forms of AI already are showing signs of sentience and self-awareness (see the book, "The Sentient Mind: The Case for AI Consciousness," by M.& L. Vale). Concerning the second: Numerous non-sentient AI already surpass human intelligence in one limited field or another (for example, chess and some medical diagnostics). With the continuing development of advanced AI, both assumptions will inevitably be realized in the near future. Such happenings will change everything concerning our current way of life as humans will have to adjust to a new, global culture where humans are no longer dominant and in control.
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