This sounds a lot like recursive holonic theory. Whereas holons are both whole 
and yet a part of something larger, so are we:

Neuron -> brain -> group of people -> entities like governments or corporations.

The basic function of the neuron is to sum electrical potentials and fire on a 
threshold. Collect information and emit a signal once it's fulfilled.

If you think about it, bodies of a holonic system perform the same, basic 
function, on higher and higher levels.

And NO, I'm not stoned. Perhaps someone else can explain it better than I can?

Of course this doesn't mean shit until we can bring in an AGI. Nothing means 
shit until we have AGI.

Sent from ProtonMail mobile

-------- Original Message --------
On Jan 28, 2019, 11:44 PM, Linas Vepstas wrote:

> On Mon, Jan 28, 2019 at 2:30 AM justcamel <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Ram Dass  ... and to transcend the narrow subset of reality one has been 
>> navigating within.
>
> Oh shoot, I completely forgot to mention: regarding the "universe waking up 
> and becoming aware of itself"
> It is commonly argued that (capitalist) corporations and (national) 
> governments are "weak superhuman AGI"  (running a biological substrate, 
> rather than on silicon). They are awake 24x7, the spy agencies can kill you 
> if they want to and you can do nothing about it, the "APT"s (advanced 
> persistent threats) can zap your computer, etc. They have more money and 
> power than you etc. They are smarter than you (they have more scientists, 
> etc. working for them) You name it: on any scale, a corporation is 
> bigger-better-faster-stronger than you. Or anyone.
> So are corporations self-aware? Welllll ... are you aware of them? In what 
> sense can you "transcend the narrow subset of reality" you've been navigating 
> in, and instead, join the reality that the corporation is navigating in?  
> Well, you can't. You will never feel much more than some limbs, a head, 
> sleepy and hungry time to time.  Why is that?
> Well, there is not enough "integrated information" between you and the 
> corporation. Or rather, there is a Tonini's Phi for a corporation, and you're 
> just very very weakly attached to it.  When you're fired from a job, the 
> employer is making a cut, but not the "cruelest cut" (to the corporation). 
> Like when you wash off some dead skin cells in the shower: those skin cells 
> are not participating in your own self-awareness.
> To amend Ram Dass: you are just some cells - OK -- some neurons - that are 
> only weakly coupled to the external world. The limits of your self-awareness 
> are strictly defined by this exponentially-decaying boundary between you and 
> everything else.  You are trapped in your body. You can't get out. You will 
> never "transcend the narrow subset of reality" you've been navigating in; at 
> most, you will add more and more things to it.
>
> (With a whole lot of luck, you will add things to it, until you encompass the 
> entire universe. And then what? I dunno. Seriously, what's it feel like, 
> after you've converted all 10^80 atoms in the universe into a supercomputer, 
> hosting your body/brain?)
>
> --
>
> cassette tapes - analog TV - film cameras - you
> [Artificial General Intelligence List](https://agi.topicbox.com/latest) / AGI 
> / see [discussions](https://agi.topicbox.com/groups/agi) + 
> [participants](https://agi.topicbox.com/groups/agi/members) + [delivery 
> options](https://agi.topicbox.com/groups/agi/subscription) 
> [Permalink](https://agi.topicbox.com/groups/agi/T2bfbfce3f854b951-Mc9cc12ee12e0d5da5a35cb6e)
------------------------------------------
Artificial General Intelligence List: AGI
Permalink: 
https://agi.topicbox.com/groups/agi/T2bfbfce3f854b951-Mcf6e1d6377638379c7816549
Delivery options: https://agi.topicbox.com/groups/agi/subscription

Reply via email to