Robert J. Chassell (no mistake this time) really did write: > In the novel -- and I think it is reasonable -- the carbon based souls > lose out to those whose thinking ability is to us as we are to > tapeworms. In the novel, the carbon based move out of the solar > system.
Hmmm. It's hard to argue against the idea that AIs would be far superior to human beings, but I wonder if the inevitable result of our obsolescence would be them forcing us out. That conclusion would seem to be based on the assumption that the AIs are directly competing in the same evolutionary niche with humans, and I'm not sure that would necessarily be the case. Many of these Singularity stories include a scenario where the AIs or posthumans replicate like bacteria and consume all of the matter in the Solar System for use in their Turing machines, which leads to the extinction of humanity. But I read an article somewhere (aha, here it is: The Fundamental Physical Limits of Computation (http://www.aeiveos.com/~bradbury/Authors/Computing/Bennett-CH/TFPLoC.html)) where two scientists showed that there's no basic limitation on the minimum amount of energy needed to do a single logical operation like adding or subtracting or whatever. So it may not be necessary for the AIs to gobble up our solar system to get a maximum amount of computing power. They might instead disappear down their own rabbit holes, getting more and more utility out of each joule of energy, and simply leave us alone. We might be outclassed by the machines, but if they have no need to compete or interact with us they might ignore humanity completely, just like we have no interest in the affairs of harmless bacteria, even if the bacteria take up a larger amount of the Earth's biosphere than we do. Two different niches. > OK, I can see that. But what if the two are exactly identical in all > observable and feelable ways, being carbon based and atomically the > same? If you believe in a soul, is it transmitted? (Neither you nor > those more personally involved can tell one way or the other.) > Theologically, is the original dead? Should we consider the two who > live as being imposters? Or has one soul become two? > > Legally, what is right? That's a tough question. Not knowing anything about the soul, I'd still go with them being two different people, since one can experience things that the other cannot. (Kick the real guy in the shin, and the computer version won't feel the pain.) But if they were linked together in some weird quantum entanglement way... Kevin Street -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.7.10/25 - Release Date: 6/21/2005 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
