[ExI] Von Neumann probes for what?

[spike]

... On Behalf Of Anders Sandberg

>... The real problem is when you get conflicts between expanding replicator
clouds. I haven't finished my work on this, but it looks like there are
endless war solutions where resources get used up but the conflict never
ends...--Anders Sandberg

Ja Anders  thanks for pointing out this.  A few months ago I came to the
realization that the formation of an MBrain does not put an end to war.  It
changes the form of war: no actual property destruction, projectiles or
death, none of that unpleasantness, but war continues.  That caused me to
rethink the notion of our ethical obligation to expand like crazy throughout
the galaxy as soon as we can.

Reasoning: to explain the apparent silence of the cosmos, one possibilty is
that humans really are the very first tech enabled intelligence in the
galaxy.  We really are alone.  If so, other intelligent lifeforms might be
on the way towards evolving, but are a few million years away from where we
are now.  Conflict between the civilizations is inevitable and
unpredictable.  So if we expand out to where they are and MBrain them
preemptively, we may defuse an inevitable war.  On the other hand, we know
for sure that humans are a warlike species, and we can imagine an
intelligent species that is not warlike (it *is* hard to do), and really has
nothing to kill and die for and no religion too etc.  But that isn't human.

So I end up with a contradiction: it is our moral obligation to expand into
the galaxy to prevent war, but it will result in war with ourselves so it is
our moral obligation to not.

spike