Creativity Quote by Jaron Lanier
““Zombies are familiar characters in philosophical thought experiments. They are like people in every way except they have no internal experience… If there are enough zombies recruited into our world, I worry about the potential for a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe if people pretend they are not conscious or do not have free will - or that the cloud of online people is a person; if they pretend there is nothing special about the perspective of the individual - then perhaps we have the power to make it so. We might be able to collectively achieve antimagic. Humans are free. We can commmit suicide for the benefit of a Singularity. We can engineer our genes to better support an imaginary hive mind. We can make culture and journalism into second-rate activities and spend centuries remixing the detritus of the 1960s and other eras from before individual creativity went out of fashion. Or we can believe in ourselves. By chance, it might turn out we are real.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Public Talk on Consciousness and Technology, 2016
The quote warns that treating consciousness as irrelevant may lead to a self‑fulfilling loss of individuality, urging belief in personal reality and agency.
In simple terms: Treating consciousness as irrelevant can erode individuality; belief in self preserves reality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and value personal consciousness.
Themes
philosophy
technology
individuality
future
ethics
Mood
reflective
concerned
hopeful
Type
philosophical
critical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal decision‑making
- mental health advocacy
- technology design
- cultural criticism
- creative expression
Key Concepts
consciousness
free will
collective belief
singularity
hive mind
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your belief in consciousness shape your actions?
- What responsibilities arise from recognizing personal agency?
A Different Perspective
If society collectively dismisses consciousness, it may become a self‑fulfilling prophecy.
![“At the turn of the [21st] century it was really Sergey Brin at Google who just had the thought of, well, if we give away all the information services, but we make money from advertising, we can make information free and still have capitalism. But the problem with that is it reneges on the social…” quote by Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/10d/jaron-lanier-2241_21st-century_at-the-turn-of-the-21st-century-it-was-r_345382.jpg)
