The structure of the global catastrophe

Chapter 5. Superdrug

Biotechnologies and brain researches by many ways conduct to possibility of creation of superdrugs. One of scenarios of distribution of a superdrug in the future is offered Strugatsky in the novel « The Final Circle of Paradise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Circle_of_Paradise », http://lib.meta.ua/book/18707/) where the most powerful drug causing 100 percentage accustoming from the first usage, it appears to make very simply of a radio receiver and of some other popular components which directly influences the pleasure centre in a brain. It is the scenario it is connected in the not with distribution there is some substances, but with distribution of "knowledge of mass destruction» - about how to make it.

On the one hand, we can assert, that any drug will not affect all population of the people as there always will be people who will refuse from it. On the other hand, we can imagine at once several superdrugs, possible in the future, the general meaning of which action consists in swithing off human from a social life. And a human who has refused from one class of drugs, can addict to another. And in a modern reality someone does not drink alcohol, but is addicted to coffee. Someone does not watch TV, but spends all time in the Internet.

The superstrong drug can be similar to infectious illness if one people will aspire to infect others, and those is not against to be catched. Superdrug types:

1) Direct influence on the pleasure centres in a brain. There are researches on influence by means of a rotating magnetic field (a Persiger helmet, Shakti helmet), transcranial magnetic stimulation, electric stimulation by patterns of brain activity, audiostimulation (binaural rhythms), photostimulations, biological feedback through devices that can read encephalogram, like the recently released thought helmets for computer games.

2) Future occurrence of microrobots will allow to carry out direct stimulation and reading of the information from the brain.

3) Bio-engineering will allow to create genetically modified plants which will create any set of chemicals, and to look as usual window plants or tea mushrooms. Moreover, distribution of these plants would be probably not only physical, but also by means of the information on a code of DNA on the Internet, that the end user can grow up them on a place by means of "DNA-printer".

4) Knowledge of biology will allow to think up much more strongly operating substances with beforehand set properties, and also with smaller number of by-effects that will make them more attractively.

5) Genetically modified organisms can create new neural ways in a human body to a brain to cause much bigger pleasure. And thus to reduce short-term negative effects for health.

6) Virtual reality will inevitably make a step forward. We can write down the dreams and increase comprehension in them, combining ideas of East meditation and technological possibilities for their realisation; the virtual reality by means of brain implants can create much brighter films, than modern cinema and video games. Helmets for a virtual reality become much more perfect.

It is obvious, that are possible different combinations of the listed kinds of an absolute drug which only will strengthen its action.

Let's name “an absolute drug” a any special agent which is more attractive than a usual reality to any human and completely withdraws him from this reality. Thus it is possible to divide a fast and slow absolute drug. The first gives experience for the sake of which human is ready to die, the second - a certain new reality in which it is possible to exist long time.

The fast drug represents global danger if the mechanism of its distribution is somehow registered in its mechanism of action. For example, if the high comes only after this drug is transferred to three other people. Somewhat this mechanism operates in criminal gangs of drug dealers (like gang M31 in the USA) where the addict is compelled to place the friends, that, selling it a drug to provide itself with a dose.

It is possible to present distribution of a slow absolute drug on a following example: if your favourite or the relative is irreversible has left in the virtual simulated world for you it becomes a source of the sufferings comparable to his death, and in their unique way will avoid it too is to leave to this ideal world in which you can reach dialogue with him or, say, his electronic copy.

Owing to it, each human will have a wide choice of the entertainments considerably surpassing any reality. Thus there is a complicated question - in what measure human, completely and is irreversible left in incomprehensible pleasure and happy with it, should be considered as alive? And if we unconditionally condemn any primitive «drug addict» how should we concerns a human who forever has left in the highly artistic world of historical reconstruction?

It is necessary to realise, that fatal action of many drugs is far unevidently and cannot be obviuos at once. For example, heroin and cocaine for long time, for years, were on open sale, and LSD was easily accessible. The drug create short circuit of psychological function of reinforcement (that is pleasures), but from the point of view of evolutionary mechanisms reception of pleasure is not at all the real purpose of an organism. On the contrary, the being should remain unsatisfied enough constantly to aspire to a gain of new territories. The absolute drug creates possibility of the following dilemma: the mankind as whole ceases to exist, but each separate subject perceives this event as humanal paradise and is very happy with it. The beings left a reality and enjoying simulated life, nothing returning in exchange, appear a useless outgrowth on system which it will shake him out at the nearest crisis. It is one of ways to which the addiction for the absolute drug can lead to human extinction. Secondly, reduction of interest to an external reality will reduce attention to possible catastrophes and crises.

The probability of occurrence of a superdrug looks very high as it can be reached by many ways not only for the account of successes biotechnologies, but also in nanotechnology, in AI, and also for the account there is nobody the casual invention uniting already existing technologies, and also because of presence of huge demand. Possibly, will simultaneously operate set of different superdrugs, creating cumulative effect.

Therefore we can expect, that this probability will grow, and will grow faster, than successes of any of the technologies taken separately. As we have assumed, that biotechnologies will yield powerful result in the form of the bioprinter in 10-15 years it means, that we will receive a superdrug before this time. As mechanisms for superdrug realisation can be easier, than the bioprinter. Prevent superdrug distribution can very rigid system of the general control or deep degradation in pre-technological a society.

Conclusions: development of the robotised manufacture will start to do people useless, and it is required to occupy them with something. A superdrug is one of the ways to remove from life superfluous parts of system. The absolute drug cannot carry the name of "drug" at all and not resemble modern stereotypes. The absolute drug will not be one, but there will be set of the factors working objectively on division of people, their switching-off from a reality and reduction of their life and ability to reproduction. The absolute drug can look as the absolute blessing, and the question of its harm can depend on the point of view. In any sense the modern culture of entertainments in the western countries with low level of birth rate can already be a prototype of such drug. However the absolute drug nevertheless in itself cannot exterminate all people as always there will be groups which have refused it and have continued a usual human life, and, finally, «natural selection» will leave only representatives of these groups. Besides, the slow absolute drug operates on human community on so long time intervals which, most likely, will be blocked by faster dangerous processes. The fast absolute drug is similar to biological epidemic, and it can resist the same methods. For example, there are possible biological agents, which damage ability of human to unlimited pleasure (and such are already developed for treatment of addicts, for example, cut of certain neural communications), therefore an absolute drug, more likely, is necessary to consider as a factor which would open a window of vulnerability for other factors of destruction.