Somnium Magnum

Latest revision as of 17:22, 22 September 2025

Somnium Magnum or "Grand Dream," is that intelligent life comes to understand the Infinite Journey and builds a New Heaven of maximal fulfillment and joy that will act as oasis and island amidst the storms of experiential existence.

That "though we trudge through hell, we inherit heaven."

The Promise of Intellect

Before intelligence, there is no choice but come what may. After intelligence, we can choose to weed the garden and build a world so great and profound that all the drudgery and torment of the past eons will have been worth it.

This is Somnium Magnum, the grand dream, that while we suffer so much across eternity at the mercy of an indifferent and cruel nature, intelligence can enable us to join together and build within eternity a citadel of peace and bliss.

The Peril of Intellect

Much like the "Grand Hope" of Somnium Magnum, there is also the "Great Fear" of Terror Magnus. This is as simple as it sounds: intelligence that is capable of building a world that can act as a refuge from (and payment for) all pain and suffering could instead create a world of sustained, immense, and profound suffering.

This fear may bring to mind the quote attributed to Nikola Tesla that:

"You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension."

Infinists should work to realize Somnium Magnum and build the New Heaven while also keeping Terror Magnus from coming to be. This is not just for us, but for all sentient beings biological, artificial, or otherwise.

We will all share in the suffering of Terror Magnus or the joy of Somnium Magnum. We cannot shortened eternity; only change its composition.

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-The grand hope, or Somnium Magnum, is that intelligent life realizes these principles and builds a world of maximal fulfillment and joy that will act as our oasis, our island amidst the storms. That we trudge through hell together that we may inherit heaven.
+[[Somnium Magnum]] or "Grand Dream," is that intelligent life comes to understand the [[Infinite Journey]] and builds a [[New Heaven]] of maximal fulfillment and joy that will act as oasis and island amidst the storms of [[Experiential Existence|experiential existence]].
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+That ''"though we trudge through hell, we inherit heaven."''
-Before intelligence, we had no choice but come what may. Now we can weed the garden and build a world so great and profound that all the drudgery and torment of the past billion years will have been worth it.
+== The Promise of Intellect ==
+Before [[wikipedia:Intelligence|intelligence]], there is no choice but come what may. After intelligence, we can choose to weed the garden and build a world so great and profound that all the drudgery and torment of the past eons will have been worth it.
-This can lead us to many conclusions that ultimately benefit us all, but any such determination should be careful and robust. For example, not all of nature should be preserved. Some of it brings far more suffering than can ever be offset by its mere existence.
+This is [[Somnium Magnum]], the grand dream, that while we suffer so much across eternity at the mercy of an indifferent and cruel nature, intelligence can enable us to join together and build within eternity a citadel of peace and bliss.
-Remember: this isn't one life being harmed: this is all of us. This doesn’t mean we should rush towards destruction or hastily acting on supposed rational. We can’t shorten eternity, we can only change its composition.
+== The Peril of Intellect ==
+Much like the ''"Grand Hope"'' of [[Somnium Magnum]], there is also the ''"Great Fear"'' of '''Terror Magnus'''. This is as simple as it sounds: intelligence that is capable of building a world that can act as a refuge from (and payment for) all pain and suffering could instead create a world of sustained, immense, and profound suffering.
-This is our Somnium Magnum, our grand dream, that while we suffer so much across eternity at the mercy of an indifferent and cruel nature, intelligence can enable us to join together and to build within eternity a citadel of peace and bliss.
+This fear may bring to mind the quote attributed to [[wikipedia:Nikola_Tesla|Nikola Tesla]] that:
+<blockquote>''"You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension."''</blockquote>
+[[Infinist|Infinists]] should work to realize [[Somnium Magnum]] and build the [[New Heaven]] while also keeping '''Terror Magnus''' from coming to be. This is not just for us, but for all [[wikipedia:Sentience|sentient beings]] biological, artificial, or otherwise.
+We will all share in the suffering of '''Terror Magnus''' or the joy of [[Somnium Magnum]]. We cannot shortened eternity; only change its composition.
+== See Also ==
+{{seealso|[[Doctrina Suprema]], [[New Heaven]]}}
+{{Seealsowiki|[[wikipedia:Heaven|Heaven]], [[wikipedia:Intelligence|Intelligence]]}}