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Be careful what you wish for. It may be that what is good in the world (consciousness) is a mere side effect of what makes us effective survivors. Perhaps we co
by jchanimal 9y ago
Be careful what you wish for. It may be that what is good in the world (consciousness) is a mere side effect of what makes us effective survivors. Perhaps we could kick off an evolution of compute-based life, which would easily out maneuver us for resources, but has no value. Maybe start here for an idea about why we shouldn't throw certain values under the bus, merely in order to compete: http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/
- AgentME 9y agoThe book Blindsight by Peter Watts explores the idea that consciousness might not be necessary for intelligence, and that it may be a temporary stepping stone in the evolution of an intelligent species if it isn't specifically safe-guarded. The book posits a superintelligent alien race^Wsomething without consciousness that views Earth's many broadcasts (which are only valuable to people with consciousness) as a malicious attack or pollution that only serves to waste the processing time of intelligences like itself. It's a great book exploring consciousness and the vast possibility space of intelligence.