[ExI] I love the world. =)

[Mike Dougherty]

On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 5:57 PM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
> If you meant the transhumanists reducing it all to computronium, the common
> notion is that they (and everyone else) have little or no say in the matter.
> The computronium does whatever it wants.  The problem is that we don't know
> what it wants.  We don't even know if the computronium cares what we want.

1) computronium isn't even a real thing.  We might as well be
discussing trouble with Tribbles (and the humane ways in which we can
protect ourselves from them without resorting to genocide)

2) the concept of computronium is maximal computing density of matter.
 I was under the impression that this magical substance would be
employed to do useful work: computing.  This should be
anthropomorphized no more than the CPU in your current computer
"wants" for anything.  There are plenty of monsters utilizing
currently available computing technology.  These monsters can already
kill us according to their programming (human-designed programming)
Computronium wouldn't make these monsters kill us any more severely
than they already can.

3) we will continue to advance according to our own programming.
Mostly that frightened monkey programming that kept us from being
eaten by primordial predators will make us just as likely to hit the
computronium monsters with a proverbial rock or (as recently
discussed) a burning branch.  Once the threat becomes possible, expect
to see right next to the firehose something like "in case of hard
takeoff, break glass to employ EMP."  In a not-quite-worst-case
scenario we are forced to Nuke the Internet and revert back to
Amish-level technologies.  Not a pretty situation, but humanity would
adapt.

4) as far as you or I having any say in the matter, how is that
different from any public policy currently "offered" by the government
under which you/we are currently living?  Yeah right, you could move
somewhere more agreeable to your views - if only you had the means to
up and leave (and the fortitude to start a new life elsewhere)