Discussion about this post

User's avatar
A Frank Ackerman's avatar

AGREE LORagr_2: We Will Not Colonize Other Planets

“The flat refusal to accept this ranks right up with the certainty that we will ‘colonise other planets’.”

COMMENT

It’s not a certainty that we will not colonize other planets, but it appears to be unlikely. We are creatures of this planet. At the molecular, and probably at the quantum level, our biology is intimately tied to the evolution of life on this planet. Our bodies are ecological systems, not standalone chemical factories.

Expand full comment
A Frank Ackerman's avatar

AGREE LORagr_1: Robotic Sentience Not Plausible

“there is still no sign that sentient robots are even possible with our kinds of computing techniques - much less plausible.”

COMMENT

Yes, I think this is true. By definition a sentient being must be conscious. In general, those of us who are attempting to construct personal mental models of what is, are reasonably sure that consciousness is a feature of complex physical brains. At the moment we don’t know how this works. When we do have at least some inkling of the physical processes that manifest in consciousness, I suspect that some of these processes will lie in the quantum realm. If that is the case it may not even be theoretically possible to create artificial consciousness.[1] Further, if it is possible, it might be the case that such creations will be inherently unpredictable.[2]

Notes

[1] Since currently we don’t know how consciousness is created, scientists and technicians are actively trying to create artificial consciousness. Ask ChatGPT for a few papers published prior to Sept. 2021.

[2] Isn’t this the case for humans?

Expand full comment
23 more comments...

No posts