[ExI] More Advanced Extraterrestrials

[Robin D Hanson]

> On Dec 24, 2014, at 4:36 PM, BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> David Brin and Robin Hanson are having a discussion this month ...
> One point I think they are missing though is exponential evolution.
> Unless the aliens are at almost the same development level as humans,
> (which is really unlikely!), then we should expect to be unable to
> understand what they will be like. Humans already almost have control
> of their evolution, nano-tech and AI. Once the Singularity arrives,
> change will be exponential. A thousand years will bring the equivalent
> of millions of years of change, evolving faster and faster.

I agree they would be far more advanced from us; that was key to my 
latest comment there. But why should being far more advanced mean 
that we should "be unable to understand what they will be like"? We 
don't understand everything, but we do understand some things, so why
can't we make use of what we do understand?
 
Robin Hanson  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Res. Assoc., Future of Humanity Inst., Oxford Univ.
Assoc. Professor, George Mason University
Chief Scientist, Consensus Point
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030
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