Nick, A second answer re: the entity that has self-interest: the Ghost in the Machine, Charlotte Johansen.
davew On Fri, Jul 3, 2020, at 1:24 PM, [email protected] wrote: > Thanks, Dave, > > What is the self-interest that is being served in such a system. What is the > entity that “has” the interest. > > Or am I trapping myself in some stupid loop, here. > > n > > Nicholas Thompson > Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology > Clark University > [email protected] > https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ > > > > *From:* Friam <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Prof David West > *Sent:* Friday, July 3, 2020 1:19 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] detritus from vFRIAM > > Nick, > > People write software that self-modifies, learns to shape current actions > based on the results of prior actions, clones itself in order to maximize its > share of some limited resource (memory or processor cycles) vis-a-vis > competing software. > > This kind of software, once created and deployed, is entirely autonomous. > Creators might send messages asking the software to execute a particular > behavior, but such messages have no special status, they are just another > part of the context to which the software responds. The field is called > "evolutionary software." > > To me, this is an example of a system, that once deployed, is autonomous and > acting on its own behalf. It is not aware of any "goals of the whole" only > its own will to "thrive." > > Not sure if this satisfied your request. > > davew > > > On Fri, Jul 3, 2020, at 1:06 PM, [email protected] wrote: >> I tried to post this on the vFRIAM chat, but wouldn’t “take”, so I am >> posting it here: >> >> “Don't do this now, but …. as a favor to me, could you-guys devote some of >> your shaving time this week to the proposition: "No system ever acts on its >> own behalf." My intuition is that whenever we investigate a system that >> appears to act in its own behalf, we will find that it is pursuing a goal >> that is short of the interest of the whole, but which will produce benefits >> to the whole because of some property of the world in which it acts. I would >> love to hear a discussion among people trying to design _a system that acts >> on its own behalf_. Can someone come up with a simple example of such a >> system.” >> >> I grant you that the question is not clear. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Nick >> >> Nicholas Thompson >> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology >> Clark University >> [email protected] >> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ >> >> >> >> - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> > > - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >
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