What is the true essence of life? This remains an eternal question, a quest that spans time and space. Although the manner of asking has not changed, the answers provided are uniquely inventive — the true essence of life lies in both innovation and heritage. You will find that, on platforms like ChatGPT, there are no ready-made answers to the nature of life and the description of innovationism. This means that the viewpoint linking the meaning of life with innovation is innovative, offering us a new perspective in our exploration of life’s purpose.
With the prosperity of society, people have more leisure time and wealth, which leads them to think about how to use these resources to pursue more meaningful things. Especially in today’s constantly evolving technological and economic environment, more young people are considering what kind of meaningful life activities they should pursue.
What is the meaning of life?
We have witnessed rapid technological advances, even touching the deeper realms of humanity, such as the emerging artificial intelligence technology. Many worry whether these technologies will replace all work and if so, what activities should humans then engage in? We find that despite the rapid development of artificial intelligence, innovative work still requires human involvement. Moreover, although virtual reality may offer a different experience from the real world, our pursuit of innovation and heritage cannot be replaced. Therefore, the concept that “the meaning of life lies in innovation and heritage” is becoming increasingly profound.
Not only from a philosophical perspective, but also economically, innovation has become a key activity and an important component of success and revenue generation for individuals, businesses, and even nations. An increasing number of people are plunging into innovative work, seeing it as a core competency. However, the focus of this book is not just economic innovation, but to emphasize that innovation should be regarded as an important value and pursuit in terms of the meaning of life.
The definition of innovation can broadly cover fundamental theories in science and technology, technological progress, new processes, new products, new materials, as well as new business models and organizational forms, including cultural and artistic innovation. Moreover, childbearing is also considered a form of life innovation.
Inheritance and innovation are symbiotic existences. First, inheritance provides a standard for evaluating innovation. Whether an innovation can be successful and influential depends on how many people accept it and how many continue to deepen and promote it. If an innovation is not passed down, not used or influenced by others, then it is undoubtedly a failure. Therefore, inheritance is not just a measure of innovation’s success but also the realization of innovative results. Secondly, innovation and inheritance complement each other; if there is only mere replication without innovation, it is of little significance, and such a society will eventually become rigid and stagnant.
“Innovation and inheritance, one cannot exist without the other.” In the context of in-depth discussion, we understand that innovation and inheritance are the two main pillars of the continuation of civilization. On one hand, innovation is full of risks, but it drives the development of a generation; on the other hand, long-term inheritance ensures the sustainability of human civilization. We recognize that, just like the combination of parental genes in biological reproduction produces offspring, the birth of a new generation is itself both an inheritance and an innovation.
Innovativism is not only a philosophical thought but also a manifestation of values. Essentially, the value and mission of life lie in ensuring the enduring development of human civilization through innovation and heritage. The combination of innovation and heritage contributes not only to the continuation of human genes and knowledge; they are also the light of today’s human civilization. The large population (like the computational power we possess), together with the accumulation of technology, culture, and arts, together form the hardware and software of modern civilization.
The pursuit of long-term prosperity of human civilization means the persistence of time, the expansion of space, the increase in quantity, and the constant emergence of new things — that is innovation. Without innovation, civilization may be widespread and long-standing, but it would lack interest. What we desire is a constantly progressing advanced civilization, which requires innovation to drive it forward.
Under the framework of innovation and heritage, all aspects of personal life, corporate management, and national policy can be measured by their value scales and profound conclusions can be drawn from them. This value system emphasizes the importance of learning, as well as the philosophy of life that embraces rationality, enterprise, and communication. In the corporate realm, it calls for an equal and relaxed work environment and a strong sense of social responsibility; in national policy, it advocates for open, inclusive, and fertility-friendly policies.
Furthermore, the innovation capacity model, as a tool for guiding social innovation, is also presented in this paragraph. The model points out that the size and capability of the population, as well as the richness of internal and external social exchanges, are crucial to the vitality of innovation. In other words, the force of innovation is directly related to the scale of the population, its potential, and the density of their interactions.
In considering the future development of China, two core elements—population and openness—must be given special attention. Traditionally, the sizable population has been China’s competitive advantage, but future trends do not appear optimistic. The significant decline in birth rates in the past two years has dropped to about half of what it used to be. Looking ahead 20 years, when today’s newborns are expected to take on the role of social innovators, China’s innovation capability will face severe challenges. This is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed.
Why do we need to elevate this issue to a matter of significance rather than just an economic perspective? The answer lies in the fact that promptly addressing the current population issue will not only help mitigate the economic impact but is more importantly related to the future of the younger generation. The decrease in birth rates will have a direct impact on them when they reach their fifties and sixties. For someone in their fifties like me, the impact is limited. Therefore, addressing this issue requires a cross-generational approach to achieve a societal consensus aiming at the long-term prosperity of human civilization. We do not live merely for one generation; our goal is to ensure the long-term development of humanity and Chinese civilization. To this end, we must create favorable conditions for young people to have children and ensure their welfare. With the abundant wealth of our society today, only a small portion needs to be allocated to assist young people, effectively easing the pressure and high costs of having children. The key is that we must have a long-term perspective and understand its profound significance.
Next, let us focus on the characteristic values of innovativism. Regarding the meaning of life, people may have various interpretations, and this is just one possible answer. Everyone’s understanding of the value of life is unique. Throughout history, the interpretations of philosophers on the meaning of life have been most enlightening, whether it was the pursuit of fame, pleasure, longings for family affection, or love, the pursuit of social contribution or virtue, or the desire for self-actualization; these have all been topics of discussion.
So, why hadn’t past philosophers included innovation in the meaning of life? A possible reason is that innovation moved at a slow pace during their times, and a philosopher might not witness many innovative creations in their lifetime. Additionally, many ruling classes did not favor innovation; instead, they preferred stability. Meanwhile, there exist some philosophical thoughts that oppose innovation, advocating for the maintenance of the status quo. However, innovation can also be a way to achieve higher human spiritual needs and psychological satisfaction—a transcendent fulfillment. If we refer to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people will only pursue higher needs once their basic needs are met. Therefore, while the innovation process is full of challenges, it also brings an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
Innovation is a pursuit that transcends self, time, and generations. In comparing with merely passing down values, innovationism pays more attention to the goal of long-term prosperity of human civilization. Moreover, if a value wishes to become universally accepted, it must withstand testing: if everyone pursued one value, would it have a positive impact on society? For example, if everyone aimed to get into top-tier universities, clearly, this is not a positive social trend as it constitutes a zero-sum game. How about the pursuit of wealth? In the past, land represented a zero-sum resource. After entering industrial society, pursuing wealth through innovation is no longer a zero-sum game—the potential for innovation is limitless. It fosters the transmission of knowledge and the explosion of creativity. This spirit of innovation is sustainable and can bring lasting benefits to society.
Thus, we say innovation is a value, capable of enduring universal tests, and this value can apply to individuals as well as be promoted across groups and even nations. Interactions between nations are not zero-sum games; rather, they should promote mutual progress. China and the United States should also not see their relationship as a zero-sum game. What’s crucial is sustainability, or self-consistency. We are able to discuss philosophical issues like innovationism because our ancestors left us a robust heritage of knowledge and genes. To ensure that our descendants can still discuss the same values in many years to come, this value should focus on how to ensure our knowledge systems and genetic heritage thrive in the long term. This is the only perpetual value I can imagine.
At present, AI technology is developing rapidly, especially the recent advances in large model technologies that have astonished the tech industry and even more so, the philosophical community. The development of AI technology proves that it’s just a matter of time before artificial intelligence or machines will be able to simulate various activities in the human brain. Machines can use digitized neurons to mimic the brain, using silicon-based structures to reproduce brain activity, which is completely reasonable from a materialistic perspective. However, when real technology can simulate the brain, the impact of realizing this idea is tremendous. Currently, artificial intelligence still has significant gaps compared to the human brain in terms of energy consumption and versatility, but this is only a matter of time.
However, the uncertainty and inexplicability of AI are very similar to those of humans. For instance, this characteristic displayed by ChatGPT tells us that the uncertainty of skills might be inevitable; if a system is completely certain and predictable, it wouldn’t be considered intelligent. Intelligence may also mean creativity, and human creativity is complemented by uncertainty and unpredictability. I believe AI will not develop towards becoming more like humans, because the fundamental difference between humans and machines lies in self-awareness and emotions, traits that require tens of thousands of years of evolution to develop. The essence of life is the desire to survive and the fear of death; thus, for AI to possess characteristics similar to those of real living beings, it must also cultivate this drive for survival.
Although theoretically, AI could perfectly simulate the human brain, due to the fundamental differences between the two, humans will not strive to train AI to be similar to the human brain. Since innovative behavior itself carries high levels of uncertainty and unpredictability, employing AI to perform such tasks might lead to uncontrollable results because of this combined uncertainty. The risks are significant, which explains why innovation still needs to be led by humans and cannot be fully entrusted to AI.
Lastly, we face this question: If AI is smarter than humans, why not let AI replace our descendants? Some argue this is unobjectionable. We could allow AI to complete all tasks, even let AI wholly replace human offspring, and then our descendants would be composed entirely of silicon-based life created by AI. After all, despite not being naturally birthed by us, AI is something we created and can be seen as our progeny.
From the perspective of long-term inheritance, relying solely on artificial intelligence (AI) to take on the role of human descendants and to undertake innovative tasks poses a grave risk. Although artificial intelligence has demonstrated increasingly higher levels of intelligence, whether it can reproduce, and whether its algorithms can be continuously updated and developed, remains an unknown. Moreover, if we were to discuss the modes of AI reproduction, we would be compelled to question whether they would reproduce asexually or sexually? Would artificial intelligence differentiate between male and female?
This point raises an underlying issue of great importance, as sexual reproduction in nature has the dual value of innovation and inheritance, which is crucial to the evolution of life. Millions of years of evolution have allowed life forms to adapt to changing conditions and resist viral invasions, showcasing robustness. If AI reproduced asexually, they could easily be wiped out by a virus, and if AI cannot die, how would new AI take their place? Similarly, if humans achieved immortality, would it genuinely benefit innovation, or lead to the stagnation of thought? Therefore, the idea of relying on AI for the long-term prosperity of humans or intelligent life forms is fraught with immense risks and should not be our goal. In short: The risk of artificial intelligence undertaking the responsibility of innovation is too high; it cannot replace the role of human descendants.
Currently, there is a risk that the younger generation may become engrossed in virtual universes or the metaverse, neglecting the exploration of the real world. After all, virtuality can generate happiness and satisfaction at a low cost, and can even simulate emotions and innovation. But the complexity of the virtual universe is far less than that of the real universe, and its internal logic may not be consistent. Innovating in an inconsistent system is like proving a theorem in an inconsistent geometric system, which is essentially meaningless. Therefore, we must remain vigilant and continue to explore the real universe.
When talking about the fulfillment of the soul or the needs of the spirit, we should consider what the role of humans is if all the pursuits of the spirit are completed by AI. If we seek the highest level of spiritual fulfillment and meaning, then innovative activities are obviously indispensable. Both for pleasure and for meaning, humans will retain the right to innovate, and the development direction of AI should be to complement humans, surpass some of our abilities, but not completely replace us. Hence, our conclusion is: Humans will retain the joy of innovation and will not let AI take on this role alone.
Regarding travel, especially space travel, the prosperity of a civilization over the long term is reflected not only in the passage of time but also in the expansion of space. Discovering new continents has been crucial to the enhancement of human historical innovative capabilities. Space exploration in the future is also likely to promote this development. Expanding civilization to other planets can reduce the risk of destruction on a single planet. Therefore, it is vital to continue developing travel technology, including space travel.
However, compared to artificial intelligence or longevity technology, space travel faces more challenges, such as the speed of light limitation, high costs, life risks, and unclear economic benefits, requiring long-term significant investment. The famous Fermi paradox discusses the reasons why we have not yet contacted extraterrestrial life, one possibility being that they have not yet developed space travel technology, or extraterrestrial civilizations have been replaced by artificial intelligence, turned to virtual worlds, or pursued immortality, any of which could upend the trajectory of long-term human civilization.
Exploring space technology undoubtedly helps to promote the long-term development of human civilization. Although the process is full of challenges, space travel has profound significance from the perspective of pursuing the prosperity of humanity and space together. In daily life, childbearing can be likened to launching satellites into space, with children growing up and occasionally sending messages to their parents, seeking care and support.
Childbearing is a high-cost, high-risk investment with unclear long-term returns, which further emphasizes the importance of exploring values and the meaning of life. If we see innovation and heritage as the meaning of life, then such pursuits appear even more superior. What it brings is a fulfilling, scientific, inclusive, and sustainable attitude towards life. This philosophical concept encourages proactive exchange, advocating a culture of rationality and cooperation, and also provides ideological support for open, inclusive, and friendly fertility policies.
Although pursuing innovation and heritage is seen as a high-level pursuit transcending the self, this does not mean that such a culture can easily become mainstream. Compared with proactivity, choosing a comfortable life attitude may be more tempting. Between personal and social long-term interests, the value of innovation and heritage still needs to be further reinforced.
Hence, a social consensus needs to be formed which allocates a portion of current societal resources to support innovation and heritage, thereby fostering the long-term prosperous development of human civilization.
