From: Rafal Smigrodzki (rms2g@virginia.edu)
Date: Thu Oct 17 2002 - 13:37:47 MDT
Eugen wrote:
>
>> Jim Halperin writes _The Truth Machine_. "Such a machine, for
>> example, would facilitate a totally redesigned criminal justice
>> system, and politicians would have to be extremely honest and
>> forthright, as would society as a whole. In short, it would
>> completely change civilization as we know it--a paradigm shift of
>> epic proportions." (Paul M. Heffernan)
>
> I don't think such a machine is really possible. Lying does involve
> specific activity patterns in the brain, but this looks like something
> requiring expensive hardware, extensive subject-specific calibration,
> and have a high false positives rate. The technician would also be a
> vulnerable element in the loop.
### I do not totally share your pessimism here. MRI machines are getting
cheaper, multielectrode cortical arrays will be cheap and ubiquitous, too.
On the other hand, we'd need something more than just the ability to detect
the patterns of frontal cortex activation which are associated with the
extra processing needed to consciously lie. Smart liars could in the future
use self-deception at a much higher level than possible now. Most of us
can't genuinely expunge from memory the traces of our misdeeds, so if asked
about them we always have to do some real-time suppression, and such
activity can be even seen on evoked potential EEG, like the P300 wave which
accompanies the recognition of visually or verbally provided, previously
encountered patterns.
Future liars could perhaps fully erase all the traces of murder from their
mind. They would be genuinely surprised if confronted with evidence. In this
case, the questions of identity continuity and culpability would arise.
This problem could be solved by using a personality analysis, looking for a
propensity to behave improperly (as defined by the societal context), rather
than specific misdeeds. Persons devious enough to engage in partial
self-erasure for improper gains would be excluded from cooperation as a
matter of principle, not punishment.
All this is looking far into the future. Traceless self-editing won't be
available for a long time. Until then universal surveillance, MRI, EEG, MEG,
and multielectrode arrays should provide enough capability for catching
liars.
------
> Moreover, people in power would find ways to not expose their
> internals to the world.
### Only if you let them. If you actually make it illegal for a celebrity or
politician to evade a paparazzi, they will be under very close scrutiny.
Barkow writes about an evolved interest in strategic information about
fellow humans, especially the high status ones, inherent in our cognitive
architecture.
"They" will have nowhere to hide, at least as long as the correct
legislation is forced on them by the collective will of the electorate. I
only worry that by the time the majority sees the light and demands it, it
might be too late - total surveillance without total transparency will be
there, and it will be very, very difficult to wrest power from the
spymasters.
Rafal
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