The machines took over a long time ago

A brief history of God + An introduction on spectral machines 

You didn't notice because real machines hadn't been invented yet. But spectral machines have always existed. We call these spectral machines "the law" and it governs everything you do and it's processes are automatic. It serves the same function as a machine, albeit, a much grander one. 

The government, law, and the state is the machine we invented to replace "God". Now, a conservative might hear this and think I'm against the state and for God. I might be, had I any notion of what God was. Instead, I have the state, the law, and the government. And I know precisely what those are. 

In the beginning, was the law, and the law was the instantiation of God, and God looked after all of us. You see, it wasn't apparent to early humans that moral goodness would be reinforced by indifferent nature. Nature is intrinsically amoral. If one man can enrich himself via the murder of another, then murder is reinforced. But its impact, on the whole, creates a problem for everyone, even the murderer. A murderer can murder an entire city to enrich himself. But if he left no one behind to envy him, what would be the point?

In order to discourage the murderer, you need a different sense of the universe than the one nature has provided. You need: The Moral Universe.

Fast forward to Job. The devil and God get into an argument. God says, "look here at Job, he is pious and good."

The devil replies, "Of course he is good. He can afford to be good. The poor man is only as good as he can afford to be."

God considers this, then proceeds to strip Job of his wealth, health, and family. The townsfolk assume that Job is a bad man since God has punished him. Yet Job insists he deserved none of this. The story makes it clear that it's still going to happen. Ultimately, Job is restored in heaven, even after breaking. The point is: There is a moral grammar to the universe, but you have to wait a lifetime to get there. So, if we're religious, we buy that argument, lead good lives, and go to heaven. 

But unfortunately, that's not enough. We need to do some of the punishing ourselves, play God, and do his job for him, since he won't. In other words, we need to create a system to enforce the moral grammar that nature will not enforce. Hence, the law, the state, and the government.

The law as a machine

What is a machine? It operates on its own, more or less, or automates some of the labor. A plow automates the process of plowing making the task easier. The computer automates serial processing, something humans are not particularly good at. We're much better at automating processes for serial processing. Arithmetic is one serial process that computers can perform much better than humans. Much faster. 

The law operates as a machine of procedure and process in which humans only perform as functionaries. The law operates, ostensibly, above the humans that perform individual functions. It restricts us, assigns penalties for violating restrictions, it makes demands of us, and assigns penalties for violating those demands. It is, for all intents and purposes, the technology of God. 

So, the next time you're worried about AI taking over, remember, that there is at least one machine that's been running your life this entire time.