[extropy-chat] What Human Minds Will Eventually Do

[Lee Corbin]

Eugen writes

> On Mon, Jun 26, 2006 at 10:01:39PM -0700, Lee Corbin wrote:
> 
> > We are not now at all interested
> > in having the experiences, if there are any, of viruses
> > bacteria, nematodes, and insects, and we suspect that the
> > experiences of rodents don't really have that much to them.
> 
> Yes, but others will, and some subsystems will spontaneously
> sprout legs, and walk off.

Thanks for an alternate view of the future. It doesn't make
sense to me yet, though.

> The future culture is not a monoclone. After the initial
> population bottleneck it will become radically
> diverse, far more diverse than our current ecosystem.

Sounds plausible; but as for things sprouting legs and walking
off, I go through no little trouble to keep my own pad clean,
and in fact to forbid creatures in my space from doing that.
Just who do you figure will be supplying the resources so that
things sprout legs and walk off? Or perhaps you are speaking
metaphorically?  In any case, I don't understand.

> People equivalents will be in the minority. And they would
> be equivalents, not a 1:1 virtual rendition of a human primate,
> in bits. So we should claim speaking for them. They're
> indistinguishable from aliens, to us-current. 

First, we agree that perhaps none of us make it---that is, that
no human being nor any present program gets runtime in the future
(which definitely puts a crimp in my plans).

Second, *if* a reigning AI doesn't kill me, and affords me some
resources---or we are fabulously able to perpetuate our present
morals and laws---then I survive, but in two forms:

One form: Lee+, who isn't quite similar enough to be called Lee
as are the rest of my copies. This includes Lee++, Lee+++, etc.
who don't resemble their predecessor either. The plan has always
been, however, that each one affords his earlier more primitive
versions some runtime, however small. That way, even the most
primitive (the Lee or Lees) get to keep on living (and
subjectively at full speed).

In this thread, I was more-or-less focusing on those we can
understand, like just plain old Lee or Eugen. But just plain
old Lee or Eugen surely will have a lot higher IQ (but not too
high on pain of identity) and other mental capacities.

True: I have not messed with anything other than enhanced
mental capabilities. To me, it's boring to discuss what life
would be like if I were much taller or stronger, or able to
live within the sun. Those questions would be pretty tangential
before very long anyway. So life in VR could have me thinking
about (and thus experiencing) what it might be like to live in
the sun. Yet soon, wouldn't it be a case of having "been there,
done that?".  So far as I can speculate, everything eventually
gets "old", in the sense that one yearns for the novel, except
for personal re-design for greater future capabilities and
gratification, and mathematics.

But you just asked about "equivalents, not a 1:1 virtual rendition
of a human primate, in bits."

Hmm, I suppose that some people will use their resources to 
build or permit to run such exotic creatures. Moreover, some
may escape (by seizing the legal rights of their owners, or
what not). The AI may be amused for some unknown reason to
grant life to exotics. So, yes, humans might be only a small
part of what goes on.  However: in *any* case humans recognizable
as such by today's standards will be relatively rare, i.e., get
relatively little runtime.  The Eugen++++, Lee++, etc. will get
most of what the AI allots to humans.

Time and space forbid me from addressing the rest of your points
right now.

Lee