[extropy-chat] Survival

[The Avantguardian]

--- Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
> Diversification guarantees you some of the postbiota
> will be not 
> intelligent. By the bulk of the postbiomass most of
> it might be
> arguably only slightly smarter than rocks, with a
> few gods sprinkled
> in-between.

This is one possible outcome. There is certainly an
Everett branch from here to a world where machine
phase-spiders pounce upon machine-phase flies in order
to drain their batteries. But it is only one of many
possible. It all has to do with choices. Ours
presently unless we at some point make a decision that
benches us permanently in this great game called
evolution. Perhaps it will be the A.I.'s choices
thereafter unless we bench ourselves before the
Singularity. In any case, this particular scenario can
only be possible many choices beyond the Singularity.

> Logging in Brazil is very rational, and kills
> habitats just fine.
> In fact, if you'd confront these loggers (who have
> children at home
> to feed) they'll shoot you dead.

Yes. But our latin lumberjack is playing the "feed my
children" game and not the "save the environment
game". The whole point of designing an A.I. is to save
the world and not damn it. At least that is what I
*thought* it was about.
  
> Palm plantations in Indonesia are also rational.
> Building airstrips
> and shopping malls is also perfectly rational.

The goals one has depend on what game one is playing.
In that sense any particular move can be rational in
one game and irrational in another.

> Interactions between very asymmetrical players have
> no payoff for the 
> greater player, and hence produce no cooperation. 

Yes, you derive absolutely no benefit from the tens of
thousands of lymphocytes that sacrifice their precious
little lives for your overall heath and well-being on
a daily basis. Why not defect on them and go have
unprotected sex in a brothel in South Africa? :)
 
> Expecting reason to always prevail is unreasonable.
> Human-Ebola interaction
> is not governed by reason.

Sure it is. We quarantine people with Ebola and that
is perfectly reasonable. We also have people that
interact with Ebola in the laboratory trying to find a
vaccine for it. That too is reasonable.
 
> If you thought humans are good at SNAFUs, you should
> see some of what
> gods do.

I don't believe in any gods except those we ourselves
can aspire to be.




Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"Nature which governs the whole will soon change all things which thou seest, and out of their substance will make other things, and again other things from the substance of them, in order that the world may be ever new." -Marcus Aurelius, Philosopher and Emperor of Rome.

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