Novacene

Key takeaways

Novacene belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Novacene to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Novacene from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence is a 2019 non-fiction book by scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock. It has been published by Penguin Books/Allen Lane in the UK, and republished by the MIT Press. The book was co-authored by journalist Bryan Appleyard. It predicts that a benevolent eco-friendly artificial superintelligence will someday become the dominant lifeform on the planet and argues humanity is on the brink of a new era: the Novacene.

Content and ideas

Part One: The Knowing Cosmos

The Gaia system Lovelock builds upon his Gaia hypothesis, wherein he sees Earth's systems as well as the organisms on it as one cooperating superorganism. This system, Gaia, regulates and protects itself against external threats, such as an increasing heat output from the sun or asteroids. Another assertion of the hypothesis is that Gaia has an (unintentional) evolutionary strategy to sustain itself by sprouting life capable of countering said hazards. Lovelock also sketches the development of life, first anaerobic and then aerobic. He further articulates the central role of sunlight in evolution's progress via three stages:

Sunlight's energy being converted into chemical energy necessary for life Sunlight's energy into physical energy via engines using coal or fossil fuels Sunlight's energy into information via computers and their ability to control electrons

Intuition and reason Lovelock also articulates his views that reason is overvalued compared to intuition, arguing that step-by-step logic cannot explain all mechanisms. According to Lovelock, human language is a curse that forces causal and linear vertical thinking at the expense of intuition.

Part Two: The Age of Fire

Anthropocene to Novacene Lovelock discusses that the Anthropocene, a proposed geological epoch characterized by human ability to greatly shape the environment to fit man's needs, starts in 1712, after the invention of the Newcomen atmospheric engine, a vital catalyst for the later Industrial Revolution. Lovelock proposes a successor to the Anthropocene dubbed the Novacene, an epoch that will see the rise of super-intelligent robotic agents (referred to as 'cyborgs' by Lovelock). These electronic lifeforms would be capable of thinking exponentially more quickly than humans and would also mould their surroundings for sustenance.

Markets as driving factor Lovelock emphasizes that the evolution of the Anthropocene was propelled by market forces, stressing that profitability is a crucial feature of inventions such as Newcomen's steam engine. Economic significance of technologies ensures their development.

Part Three: Into the Novacene

Life with cyborgs Cyborgs would be intelligent enough to rapidly improve themselves and correct faults, much like Darwinian selection, but moreso a form of intentional selection, superior to evolution's slow and arbitrary natural selection. Self-learning AI agents are mentioned, under which Deepmind's AlphaZero, which taught itself chess by playing against itself. In combination with rapid processing speed, they would greatly surpass human intelligence; in Lovelock's words, they may see us the way we see plants: passive and slow. He further mentions these cyborgs may tap into natural resources for their sustenance, much like plants and animals rely on sunlight through photosynthesis or energy stored in organic food such as fruits.

Benevolent cyborgs Lovelock argues a future AI takeover will save both the planet and the human race from catastrophic climate change: the cyborgs will recognize the danger of global heating themselves and act to stop the warming of the planet. Contrary to Max Tegmark and others who fear existential risk from advanced artificial intelligence, Lovelock argues that robots will need organic life to keep the planet from overheating, and that therefore robots will want to keep humanity alive, perhaps as pets. Lovelock goes on to argue that humans might be happier under robotic domination.

Contra autonomous warfare In regards to more primitive technology, Lovelock condemns the concept of autonomous weapon systems capable of killing without human interference. The scientist also expresses his horror regarding nuclear weapons, but remains a proponent of nuclear energy itself.

Reception

In Nature, science journalist Tim Radford praises both Lovelock's career and the book, stating that Novacene and Lovelock's other books are "written persuasively". Radford reserves judgement on whether Lovelock's predictions will come true. In The Guardian, author Steven Poole also praises the writing style, but believes that despite Lovelock's "speculation" there may remain "reasonable cause for alarm" in the event of an AI takeover. He also dismisses Lovelock's "ropey" criticism of logical reasoning, but overall considers Lovelock's "infectious, almost absurdist optimism" a welcome relief from environmental techno-pessimism. In The Daily Telegraph, journalist Roger Lewis gives only two out of five stars to Lovelock's "rambling optimism". Skeptics have categorized Lovelock's predictions as overconfident.

In popular culture The speculative fiction thriller Rise of the Water Margin touches on many of the themes presented in Novacene, including Gaia hypothesis and superintelligence. The author mentions James Lovelock in the body of the story and Novacene in the credits and thanks.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Novacene

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Novacene claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Novacene before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Novacene ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Novacene

In research: Novacene appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Novacene in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Novacene is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2019 English-language non-fiction books, 2019 non-fiction books, Allen Lane (imprint) books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Novacene outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Novacene in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Novacene means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Novacene out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Novacene in simple terms?

Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence is a 2019 non-fiction book by scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock. It has been published by Penguin Books/Allen Lane in the UK, and republished by the MIT Press.

Why does Novacene matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Novacene?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Novacene.