Re: >H What should you ask a wish machine to do for you?

From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Sep 26 1997 - 09:34:47 MDT


Mitchell Porter <mitch@thehub.com.au> writes:

> Something that may be a likely development is
> a "genie machine" or "wish-granting machine".
> Every machine that does what you want it to
> is already a machine for granting a (narrow)
> range of wishes; what I mean is a sort of
> general-purpose wish-granting machine.
> Imagine a machine with superintelligence
> and maximal abilities to construct physical
> systems (whether that be nanotech or something
> more advanced, such as the creation of designer
> universes), but no volition to speak of.
> What should one ask of such a machine?

"Would you please implement the Omega Point?"

> What *shouldn't* one ask for?

What Klaupatius asked Trurl's wish machine for in
Lem's _The Cyberiad_: "Make Nothing".

-- 
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Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
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