[extropy-chat] What Human Minds Will Eventually Do

[Russell Wallace]

On 6/27/06, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at tsoft.com> wrote:
>
> There's quite a bit more to it than wireheading, Russell.
> After all, Larry Niven practically invented the term in
> his novels of the late sixties. The idea really has been
> around, and unfortunately, that is all that usually comes
> to mind whenever mood control is mentioned.


I was using the term in the general sense of changing one's goals to match
one's actions/circumstances as opposed to vice versa.

Oh, I know! But you *missed* the question. The question was
> not what we enjoy doing at all.
>
> I guess it is a hard concept. The question is about what we
> may wish to do when we *can* equally well get any reward
> whatsoever from the activity.


I understand the question perfectly well; I was trying, obviously not with
adequate skill, to point out that it collapses on itself. Let me take
another shot at holding up the mirror. Postulate a scenario (the idea that
it necessarily _will_ happen is of course pure wishful thinking, but there's
nothing wrong with science fiction provided it is acknowledged as such)
where you have freedom to modify your mind, including goal systems, as you
choose (using a smart computer aided enhancement program to avoid the
obvious pitfalls), and have say a trillion years of lifespan and reasonably
adequate resources:

What would you choose to modify yourself to enjoy doing?
Why?
Do you think other people should choose the same activity?
If so, why?
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