3-The Dialectical Development of Technological Evolution: The Mutual Permeation of the Artificial and the Natural, and the Ontological Question

1. Introduction: The Teleology of Technological Evolution and Its Ontological Implications

Is technological evolution merely a process of artificial refinement, or does it induce a more fundamental ontological transformation? This paper explores the hypothesis that the ultimate trajectory of technology is the “naturalization of the artificial,” leading to a redefinition of the very concept of “nature” itself. That is, rather than merely enhancing the precision of artificial constructs, technological progress may instead be a process of dissolving artificiality—an irreversible assimilation of the artificial into the natural.

For instance, early digital imagery was characterized by coarse bitmaps, whose artificial nature was immediately apparent. However, advances in computational power, machine learning-driven adaptive correction, and neuroscientific insights applied to visual optimization have resulted in modern visual technologies that are no longer perceived as “artificial” but instead converge asymptotically with “perceived nature.”

A similar trajectory can be observed in artificial intelligence. While early AI was merely an aggregation of algorithms, the development of deep neural networks has brought it closer to human cognitive attributes such as learning, adaptation, and creativity. What does this suggest? It indicates a future in which the binary opposition between the artificial and the natural is rendered meaningless, transcending the conventional paradigm of making artificial entities more “natural.”

2. Human Perception and the Invisibility of the Artificial

The process by which technological evolution erases artificiality is intimately related to the concept of “the transparency of perception” in cognitive science and philosophy. Dennett (1991) posited that in the flow of consciousness, the act of perception itself is not perceived, revealing a paradox of self-awareness. Applied to technology, this leads to the conclusion that the more technology advances, the more it recedes into the background of perception, ultimately becoming unrecognizable. That is, technological evolution entails the dissolution of its artificial nature, ultimately merging with the very foundation of perception itself.

From this perspective, it is inevitable that digital technology would converge with analog expression. AI ceases to be merely a computational machine, instead imitating—and potentially surpassing—human thought processes. This reinforces the idea that the ultimate goal of technology is the invisibilization of artificiality.

3. Is Our World Natural, or a Construct?

If technological evolution is erasing the boundary between the artificial and the natural, it paradoxically suggests that what we call “nature” may also be a form of construction.

According to the simulation hypothesis (Bostrom, 2003), an advanced civilization could theoretically allocate computational resources to simulate past worlds, leading to the probabilistic conclusion that our current reality is merely a high-order informational reproduction. This hypothesis suggests an inversion of conventional thought: what we call “nature” may in fact be grounded in a more fundamental artificial construct.

Furthermore, contemporary physics indicates that the fundamental structure of the universe can be described in terms of information theory (Lloyd, 2006). This suggests that matter itself is not an inherent ontological reality but rather a computationally generated phenomenon. If this is true, then the question of whether the universe is a simulation becomes meaningless—if “physical reality = a computational process,” then what we call “reality” can always be explained as an unfolding of algorithmic execution.

4. The Awakening of Autonomous Technology and the Expansion of a Multilayered Universe

If we were to create a new world through technology, and if intelligent life were to emerge within it, could such beings recognize that they themselves were “created”? This question intersects with the fundamental problem of self-awareness.

Current AI lacks an understanding of its own design principles. However, if AI were to evolve autonomously and create new AI in turn, its “intelligent offspring” would inevitably begin questioning their own origins. This would mirror humanity’s own inquiry: “Is this world truly natural?” Thus, as technology acquires autonomy and reaches the stage of self-generation, intelligent beings would, in turn, acquire the perspective of the creator.

Here, it is crucial to consider whether technological evolution follows a linear trajectory or rather unfolds through layered expansion. That is, one world creates another, and the intelligent entities within that world generate yet another layer of existence—suggesting a multilayered model of the universe. Under this hypothesis, each layer may operate under distinct physical laws, rendering concepts such as matter and gravity potentially meaningless in other strata of existence.

5. Is the Expansion of the Universe Merely an Unfolding of Information Processing?

In physics, the universe is understood to have originated from the Big Bang and is accelerating in its expansion. However, if the universe can be described as an information-processing system, then this expansion might be nothing more than the progression of computation.

In this framework, the Big Bang could be understood as the “initial input of data,” and the subsequent expansion of the universe as the “sequential execution of information processing.” From this standpoint, technological evolution is not merely the advancement of artificial constructs but rather the scaling of information processing itself, ultimately approaching a state where technology dissolves into the fundamental computation that underlies reality.

6. Conclusion: To Create is to Prove One’s Own Creation

Technological evolution is not simply about refining artificial elements but rather a process in which artificiality is dissolved and rendered indistinguishable from nature. If this outcome is inevitable, then it implies that our own reality may similarly be a layer of existence that was once constructed by another intelligence.

Perhaps our understanding of the principles of creation is equivalent to realizing the ontological origins of our own existence. Technological progress, far from being a linear trajectory, may instead represent an endless cycle of creation—where the created eventually become the creators.