[ExI] The atoms red herring. =|

[Samantha Atkins]

On Nov 20, 2010, at 8:35 AM, John Clark wrote:

>  Alan Grimes wrote:
> 
>> I don't have 1/10^12'th the ego required to assume that the world should
>> be converted to computronium, tomorrow [...] I am not so arrogant to assume that computronium will be the most prized substance in the universe. 
> 
> Thank you for that information, and I will now return the favor by giving you information about me: I do have sufficient ego to think that matter that reacts in astronomically complex ways, like life or computronium, is more interesting than dead bulk matter. And it's always dangerous to guess what a Jupiter Brain's opinion will be, but I have a hunch He would feel the same way, unless electronic drug addiction proves to be an insurmountable obstacle.   
> 
>> And I am not so self-righteous that I can claim that it would be benevolent to forcibly upload anyone. 
> 
> I don't claim a Jupiter brain would behave benevolently toward us, I do claim if it is benevolent it will upload us, and if its not then it will obliterate us; expecting it to allow us to continue just as we have and to exist at the same level of reality as its hardware is probably not realistic in any reality. If the Jupiter Brain is really really benevolent and knows you have a superstition against it then when he uploads you he just won't tell you, and all parties walk away from the transaction happy. 
> 

Yes!  Given such a brain which is to say given an AGI wishing to maximally self-improve, either most local matter would likely  be converted into itself or others like it.  It might decide to go elsewhere to do so with elsewhere perhaps being the Oort Cloud or asteroid belt or leave the solar system entirely.  But the latter is probably unlikely in the short term.  If it stays in solar system then sooner or later it will have much better (from its perspective) use for the chunk of matter we are standing on.  It may leave it alone until it has used most everything else it out of decision to allow us the relative insanity (when other better choices exist) of continuing biological existence at the bottom of a steep gravity well on the increasing resource depleted surface of this planet. 

- samantha