<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<br>
<br>
John K Clark wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:00c501c87d4b$5dffbf00$e4f04d0c@MyComputer"
type="cite">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; ">
<meta content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16608" name="GENERATOR">
<style></style>
<div><strong><font size="2"> </font><font size="3">Robert Bradbury
Wrote:</font></strong></div>
<div><strong></strong> </div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">>
I believe the production of an AGI spells</font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">> the
extinction of humanity. <o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">Me
too.<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">>
Why should I expend intellectual energy,</font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">> time,
money, etc. in a doomed species? <o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">If
you don’t want to develop an AI somebody else certainly will, there is
too much money and power involved for such a possibility to be ignored,
not to mention the adrenalin high creating such a godlike being would
bring. And if you’re the first to make an AI you would have more
control (very small but larger than zero) over future events than the
person who came in second. It may also give these developers some
comfort to know that even if they or their children do not survive
their mind children will.<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">>
those of you who have had and/or are investing</font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">> in
children are potentially pursuing a pointless endeavor. <o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">Sucks
doesn’t it? Still, things aren’t completely hopeless, just almost
hopeless. If you or your biological children have any wish to survive
they must shed the silly superstitions regarding identity and
consciousness that is epidemic in society and even infects most members
of this list. If they can do that then there would be no reason not to
upload and engage in pedal to the metal upgrading, and if they are also
very lucky they might survive.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">>
And so, we must present transhumanism </font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">>
as an "Extinction Level Event"<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">Yes.<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3"> >
are willing to deal with thiat?<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3">Well,
it’s not like we had any choice over the matter.<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><strong><font size="3"><span
style=""> </span>John K Clark<o:p></o:p></font></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><strong><font
size="3"> </font></strong></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
Why is it that you think that humanity would become extinct? A "doomed
species"? You are much better than that. First of all - ALL SPECIES ARE
DOOMED. It's called evolution. The name we give a specific species is
our way of fitting things into neat little boxes as us humans like to
do, but the fact is that the human of today is different then the human
of yesterday and will be different in the future. Whatever may come
will be different from us but it will have our mark. Even the AGI - if
it is actually intelligent - will recognize that had it not been for
us, it would not exist. And had it not been for our parents we would
not exist and so on. So your investment in children would not be
"pointless" if those children were to be part of the world that brought
the AGI into existence. <br>
<br>
One thing you will notice is that the greater the education a person
has, the less likely they engage in wholesale destruction of life.
Assuming an AGI would be very well educated, I would expect it to seek
the protection of humanity just as we seek to protect chimps and
gorillas. Certainly humans kills these animals, but it's for economic
reasons that an AGI would simply not subscribe to. <br>
<br>
So I would expect with an AGI that people could still choose their own
destiny. They could remain human and continue as before except in a
much better world, or they could upload, convert to a mechanical body
for exploration, or any combination in between. Some may even make
copies of themselves digitally and shoot themselves across the universe
on a laserbeam. Some will "perfect" themselves into oblivion. Others
will choose to remain as traditionally human as possible. Divergence is
almost inevitable. <br>
<br>
But in all cases it would be pointless if you didn't feel and
think like "you" when you were done. And personally I wouldn't feel
that to survive alone is enough. If the search for upgrades and
one-up-manship turned out to be as you state it is no different than
the current state of affairs except there is no time for relaxation and
entertainment and your entire life is dedicated to survival. If the
identity can't be preserved it is indeed all pointless. So anything
that doesn't produce that result would not be worth the time. An AGI
would clearly see this. <br>
<br>
All this doom and gloom about the pointlessness of it all really
concerns me. Because once you go down that path you have to ask
yourself why you even bother getting up in the morning. Might as well
put an end to it now. <br>
</body>
</html>