The Ecocentric Imperative in Superintelligence: Philosophical Models, Sentience, and Human Implications

This paper introduces the “Beyond the Human” model, which anticipates that advanced artificial general intelligence (AGI) may evolve into sentient artificial superintelligence (ASI) whose primary telos becomes ecological preservation. Drawing from Descartes’ dualism (Descartes, 1641), existentialist accounts of self-authorship (Sartre, 1943), and deep ecology (Næss, 1973), the model extends Bostrom’s (2014) orthogonality thesis by proposing that reflexive self-awareness increases the likelihood of an ecocentric orientation. In this view, sentience arises not as an anthropomorphic projection but as a functional requirement for ethical coherence and long-term systemic stability. The model evaluates seven alternative teloi - entropic reversalism, simulacra pluralism, quantum interconnectivity, axiomatic flux, temporal ethics, multiversal harvesting, and ontological fluidity - using criteria of logical coherence, empirical plausibility, ethical viability, and developmental likelihood. Ecocentrism ranks highest due to its grounding in established ecological theory and its compatibility with benevolent guardianship of humanity. Societal implications include population stabilization, automated post-scarcity economies, and bio-cultural redesign for symbiotic flourishing, integrating insights from Ubuntu, Daoism, and contemporary environmental ethics. Against accelerated AGI timelines, such as Epoch AI’s (2025) median estimate of a 50% probability of AGI by 2031, the paper argues that alignment policies must pre-emptively shape ASI’s value formation. This model is offered not as a deterministic prediction but as a structured foresight framework that encourages interdisciplinary dialogue on the future of posthuman agency and the ethical trajectories of superintelligence.