[ExI] My confusion, the Kurzweil critique

[James Clement]

Ben Zed Wrote:

> Bryan Bishop <kanzure at gmail.com> said:

 >> To transcend the bio would be to also transcend emotion.

> I don't understand this.

> Can you explain why emotion might be exclusive to biological minds?

> I'd be prepared to bet that you can't.

> Is this a manifestation of the "soulless machines" meme?

> When/if i become post-biological, i plan to have mucho mas soul, 
> emotion, whatever you want to call it, than any biologically-based mind.


I'm not an expert on the subject, so someone who is might want to jump in,
but I'd suggest that you read about Dr. Paul D. MacLean's theory about the
"triune brain."  To grossly oversimplify it, at the base of our brain is the
brain stem, which is the part we inherited from our reptilian ancestors.
Because reptiles had very basic survival needs, like hunting, mating, and
fighting for territory, we inherited some of these basic automatic reactions
from them.  The classic "fight or flight" reactive response is tied to this
part of the brain.  If the brain were analogized to a peach, the reptilian
part would be the pit.  The "meat" of the peach would be our next
evolutionary inheritance, which is the mammalian brain.  Mammals are
somewhat social creatures, which need to rear their young rather than lay
eggs and move on.  Many mammals display a wide range of emotions including
playfulness, empathy, loneliness, and love.  And last, but certainly not
least, is the peach's skin, which relates to the neocortex area of the
brain.  This is our most recent evolutionary addition to our brain, and
while it is very small in size (generally compared to a large dinner napkin
the thickness of 6 playing cards), it accounts for most of the conscious
thinking that we're aware of.

If you look at what MOTIVATES most people, you'll find some pretty basic
stuff going on most of the time.  We're talking about activities which serve
our "pleasure centers," most of which are in the limbic system and are
controlled through neurotransmitters and Hormones.  Researchers have
discovered many chemicals which can block certain neurotransmitters and
thereby affect your emotions.  It's likely that in fact by giving you
various drugs, we can now block nearly all of your various emotions, one way
or another, like fear, sexual drive, happiness, etc.

Question: if you were going to design an AI or upload a human brain, would
you want all of this baggage?  To what extent do we want to leave some of
these emotions behind?

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James Clement, J.D., LL.M.