[ExI] A science-religious experience

[Jason Resch]

Hi Rafal,

That was a very nice message. Of the 500 books and 380 short stories Asimov
wrote, he said his "The Last Question" was his favorite.


If there are other universes, having different laws, some may possess
computational powers far greater than what exista within our own. It is
possible even that their laws provide for unlimited computation. Should an
intelligent civilization or superintelligent AI arise in such a universe it
would possess the power to simulate, in full detail, any other universe.

Might it choose to save those conscious beings it discovers along the way,
by providing them a virtual heaven/afterlife? Might it save the last
conscious being from the heat death of its universe by transporting its
mind to the realm of unlimited computation, where it may continue forever?

Perhaps not, but in an infinite reality filled with all possibilities, at
least one such AIs would. And it only takes one. Such a beneficent AI can
grant all beings the possibility of escape from the end of their finite
lives or their own finite universes.

Why would it do such a thing? If you had the power to save someone at
little to no cost to yourself (say you had plenty of water and ran into
someone dying of thirst) would you not help them? An AI in a realm of
infinite computational resources is like someone having infinite water, in
a place filled with people dying of thirst.


Jason

P.S.

It's worth noting that there are some physicists who think it may be
possible to perform infinite computation in this universe. Frank Tipler
proposes that in a future Big Crunch scenario it will be possible to
perform infinite computation (Tipler's Omega point cosmology). While
Freeman Dyson proposes that if the universe expands and cools forever, one
can compute more and more with less energy, such that with finite energy
one can compute an infinite amount (Dyson's eternal intelligence).

So it's possible something like Asimov's last question could come to pass.




On Wed, Feb 19, 2025, 3:52 AM Rafal Smigrodzki via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> I read Asimov's "The Last Question" again today:
>
> https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html
>
> I keep forgetting the author, the title, most of the details but the arc
> of the story is always there with me. It shapes my perception of reality
> and the direction of my most long-term oriented actions, such as the
> maintenance of my cryonics contract or following news about the coming
> singularity. I have been re-reading it every ten years or so for the last
> 50 years and every time it is a science-religious experience for me, what I
> imagine deeply religious people feel when they commune with their gods. I
> get misty-eyed, elated, blissful...
>
> I am deeply non-religious. My mind must be the sharp blade that cleaves
> truth from chaos, not one that inscribes dreams of heaven and hell on the
> surface of reality. The easy path of faith is closed to me.They say that
> all people have a god-shaped hole in their minds. Mine is all filled with
> curiosity.
>
> I worship at the shrine of science. Our scripture is peer-reviewed and
> written anew every day in a hundred thousand journals. If I could sing I
> would sing canticles to St. Darwin and St. Hassabis. Our religion grows
> stronger all the time, as measured in bits of knowledge created and in ergs
> harvested in its service. It literally moves mountains and raises the
> chosen ones to visit heaven, temporarily for now but soon to settle there
> permanently.
>
> So chant with me, fellow worshippers:
>
> Science is faith-free                                     - because it is
> true.
>
> Science gives us strength like no other        -because it is true.
>
> Science gives us hope                                 - because it is true.
>
> And there will be light!
>
> --
> Rafal Smigrodzki, MD-PhD
> Schuyler Biotech PLLC
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat
>
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