The debate itself is going to have consequences -- or the subject of the debate -- artificial brains, robotics, etc?
Cheers, Lawry On Aug 16, 2010, at 3:03 PM, Michael Gurstein wrote: > As per Keith's comments I think the debate has potentially world altering > consequences but whether these consequences will develop is still a very open > question. > > M > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lawrence de Bivort > Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 11:38 AM > To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION > Cc: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] FW: People questioning the intelligence of > theglobal communication network > > Interesting debate! I am going to guess that its resolution will lie > entirely in the domain of linguistics and definition. Or maybe this is too > simple? While it is intellectually interesting, is it a debate with > practical consequence? > > Cheers, > Lawry > > > On Aug 16, 2010, at 12:11 PM, Michael Gurstein wrote: > >> From another list... (albeit of deep techno-enthusiasts... >> >> M >> >> -----Original Message----- >> Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 7:53 AM >> Subject: Re: People questioning the intelligence of the global communication >> network >> >> Thanks, , >> >> I'd like to reiterate a point I made earlier on the list and make a small >> update to the list in regards to smartphones. >> >> The point was, roughly, that should a global brain or accelerating >> artificial intelligence be clearly visible and provable, or most >> dramatically able to communicate with us, the stage is set for religious >> feelings, the formation of churches, and other very significant worship >> behavior of the new life form(s). >> >> Notably, the original article by Jaron Lanier is titled the First Church of >> Robotics and the discussion you highlighted below revolves around proving >> Global Brain ideas. Lanier is a vocal critic of these ideas and I disagree >> with the attention he receives as a kind of new-world dreadlocked mystic of >> technology. In this article, he writes (in regards to the behavior of >> reposting content on Twitter): >> >> " That is, people perform machine-like activity, copying and relaying >> information; the Internet, as a whole, is claimed to perform the creative >> thinking, the problem solving, the connection making. This is a devaluation >> of human thought." >> >> Basically, Lanier is a hardcore humanist who is in love with technology. No >> matter that millions of humans around the world discover fascinating things >> as a result of following other human activity on Twitter, largely from >> reposting behavior. According to Lanier, Twitter is not intelligent and the >> internet is soulless and possibly evil. I have to say, it kind of creeps me >> out to hear someone stating that we should " keep our religious ideas out of >> (the work of scientists and engineers)" and at the same time profess a deep >> unshakable belief in the human soul, obviously a thing never to be surpassed >> or obtained by a machine. >> >> What this article is about is the two sides that are apparent in Global >> Brain and AI research today. One side believes that only humans can have >> souls and computers can never be truly aware; the other believes that it's >> not clear if souls exist or have a specific humanistic definition and that >> perhaps intelligence/awareness is bigger than humans. Or you could say >> those who believe that intelligence requires soul and those who don't. >> >> Nonetheless, should a "new mind" awaken in some measurable form, look out! >> Will Lanier and his anthropocentric ilk call for it's summary execution as >> an abomination and try to pull the plug? Will Kuzweil and his followers >> raise it on high and try to plug in? >> >> UPDATE ON SMARTPHONES: >> >> The smartphone explosion is significant. "On the ground" as a consultant, I >> have helped many fellow citizens upgrade from small form factor devices and >> less touchscreen-oriented machines like Blackberries into the rapidly >> expanding world of Androids and iPhones. People who obtain these new >> smartphones immediately wonder, "what do I do with it now?" and start >> searching for applications and asking me what applications they should be >> installing. And, I believe, a new kind of emotional connection is born. >> >> Very recently, there has been quite a passionate drama played out in the >> world of smartphone owners. People are realizing they can "jailbreak" their >> iPhones and emerge from the Jobsian cleanroom to enter the free world of the >> internet and install whatever they want. People are realizing that some new >> Android phones (already a lot more liberated in regards to applications) >> come with a special chip that prevents complete "root" control of their >> device, but within two weeks of it's entrance into the world, a very real >> digital hero emerged on forums and blogs who had conquered the chip and >> granted Power to the People to be who they want to be - and the primary >> force driving root control was the ability to turn the Android device into >> an open WiFi hotspot, which the mobile network providers want to stop. >> >> These are no longer phones, they are extension of ourselves, our desires, >> our "souls" if you will. Lanier fears " we think of people more and more as >> computers, just as we think of computers as people." I believe our new >> small computer smartphone technologies are more than trusted friends or >> separate simulacrums, they are part of us. Do you believe they are draining >> or expanding our souls? If you believe in such a thing as a soul... if not, >> perhaps replace "soul" with "intelligence." >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Futurework mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
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