从“脸谱”改名到老子的理想世界 - From "Facebook" ’s new name to the ideal world of Laozi

从“脸谱”改名到老子的理想世界

最近“脸谱”公司轰动改名举止引起世界公众和媒体广泛评论。新名字META被认为是METAVERSE的简称。METAVERSE是对应于UNIVERSE （宇宙）而言，意为“超宇宙”（一般被翻成“元宇宙”，但我觉得用“超”更能体现META本意），也就是一个超越现有世界的虚拟世界。它并不局限于将现有物质世界数字化、虚拟化。我感觉“脸谱”创始人采用这个词有着更深刻的用心。究竟这个“超宇宙”有何结构、如何运作、会对人类有何影响现在还难以预测，但我们可以想象一下这个“超宇宙”的一些特征:

· 这个世界里有虚拟的环境，建筑，人物，群体，文化，经济活动，“人”际交流，行为或道德准则，及建立和改变准则的机制。这个世界里的智能主体，用“人”来称呼似乎不妥，我不妨仅用“主体”来称呼。主体永远不会老化，可以无穷延续、复制、转让；生老病死已没有实际意义。这个世界是个名副其实的可以无限创新、施展想象力的世界；

· 这个世界里的“主体”形象可以自由选择，可以选择人形，但也可以选择动物，机器人，或任何物体；主体没性别即使有也没有实际意义。 这个世界是个名副其实的无种族或群体歧视的世界；

· 这个世界里没有国家，只有自由组成的、有共同爱好的主体组成的社区。社区有区长，区长有权接收和开除社员，行驶决定权，但同时他没有个体利益，他以服务社员为天职，是个无私召集人；不满意的社员也可以使用他的两条腿的权利离开。这个世界的任何主体都可以开设社区，成为区长；每个成员都是名副其实的自由人。这个世界是个名副其实的平等世界；

· 这个世界的运行规则、道德规范可以由一个事先约定的方式公正的产生和演变，甚至完全由机器智能来决定。对违反规范的主体可以警告，短期紧闭，开除出这个世界。这个世界是个名副其实的规则至上的世界。

从某个意义上讲，它可以是个巨大的未来世界的实验室。它的成功运行也会反馈现实世界。同时，现实世界也可能向后人类方向发展。由于大量使用器官移植，机械肢体，大脑体外智能扩展甚至完全被电脑替换，以致行驶在大街上有各种外形的人，你不知他年龄，性别，真实外貌；遥控或自主机器人也可以上街代主人办事。真实世界和虚拟超世界是否会无缝接轨 ？… 这有点科幻。

“脸谱”的“超宇宙”使我想起了老子的理想国度： “国小人少。… 虽有车船，却没有必要乘坐；虽有军队，也没有地方部署…。百姓满意自己的食品，喜爱自己的服饰，安心自己的居所，热爱自己的风俗”（ « 道德论»第八十章）。老子所倡导的在现实世界中难以实现的道德准则，尤其是他的三大道德法宝：爱慈、节俭、谦逊，应当可以在“超宇宙”中实现。

马克·扎克伯格的“超宇宙”肯定会占有一个重要的位子，但很可能还会有其它的“超宇宙”出现。这些将是平行宇宙，可以遵循不同的数理公理、逻辑、道德规范，甚至相互竞争。

现实世界的人类会在工余涌向“超宇宙”去”实现“梦想，享受激情，甚至寻找人生意义吗？“超宇宙“肯定将给人类带来新的体验，也许还会带来今天难以预料的惊喜。

From "Facebook" ’s new name to the ideal world of Laozi

The latest astonishing rename of "Facebook" corporation has aroused widespread comment from the public and media around the world. The new name META is considered as a shortcut of METAVERSE which corresponds to UNIVERSE, meaning "meta universe". It would be a virtual world beyond the existing world. It would not be limited itself to digitizing and virtualizing the existing physical world. I wonder that the founder of "Facebook" has a deeper vision behind this fantastic term. What is exactly the structure of this "metaverse", how it works, and how it will impact human world is still unforeseeable, but we can imagine some of the features of this “meta universe":

• In this universe, there are everything as virtual landscape, buildings, individuals, groups, culture, economic activities, "interpersonal" communication, ethical codes, laws, and rules for establishing and evolving these laws. It seems inappropriate to call intelligent individuals in this world as "person". I might as well just call them "subjects". They will never age, and can survive, replicate, and transmit endlessly; birth, old, sickness, and death have no practical sense. This world is a true one in which innovation and imagination could be limitlessly and boundlessly experienced;

• Look of every "subject" in this world could be freely configured. You can choose a human body as well as an animal one, a robot, or any object; subjects have no gender, even they would have one, that is practically meaningless. This world is exempt of any racial or group discriminative thought;

• There are no countries in this world, only communities composed of freely formed subjects with common interests. Each community has a head who has the right to accept and expel members and take lonely decisions. At the same time, he has no personal interests and he is a selfless leader setting serving community as his highest duty. Dissatisfied members can also leave the community freely as they wish. Any subject in this world can found a community and become its head; every member is a true free subject. Members of this world enjoys perfect equity;

• The working rules and ethics of this world could be fairly defined and could evolve in a pre-agreed way, or even completely determined by machine intelligence. Subjects who break the rules could be warned, silenced for a period, or expelled from the world. This is a true world of law.

In a certain way, it could be a huge future world laboratory. Its successful experience could also feedback to the real world. At the same time, the real world may also evolve toward post human era. Due to extensive use of organ transplants, mechanical limbs, brain extensions or even artificial brains, so that there are people of various shapes or remote controlled or autonomous robots walking in streets. You don’t know their age, gender, and real nature. Will the real world and the virtual world be seamlessly interfaced? … This is a bit sci-fi.

The "meta universe" of "Facebook" reminds me of Lao Tzu's ideal kingdom: " A small kingdom with a few people.... Even it had boats and tanks, there would be no use. Even it had heavily armed soldiers, nowhere could they be positioned ... People enjoy their food, appreciate their clothes, like their houses, love their customs " ("Tao Te Ching", Chapter 80). The moral ethics advocated by Laozi, especially his three treasuries: affection, thrifty, and humility, that is difficult to achieve in the real world could be realized in "metaverse".

Mark Zuckerberg's "metaverse" would probably take a key position, but it is very likely that there will be other "metaverses". These are parallel universes, which may follow different mathematical axioms, logics, ethics, and compete each other.

Will people rush toward "metaverses" afterwork to live their dream, enjoy excitement, and even find meaning of life? The "metaverse" will definitely bring new experiences to mankind, and perhaps some big surprises that are unforeseeable today.