From: EvolverTCB@aol.com
Date: Sun Mar 07 2004 - 23:07:53 MST
In a message dated 3/7/2004 9:30:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, hkhenson@rogers.com writes:
> Is there a pointer you could suggest where there is a simple explanation of
> generating intelligence? I am seriously interested in this, among other
> reasons because I make the case that humans have (evolved, gene
> constructed) psychological traits that sabotage
> intelligence in certain
> situations.
Humans also have social traits that sabotage intelligence under some conditions. When we look at societies around the globe, we can identify 'forbidden knowledge' which may be obvious to outsiders at a glance, yet is proscribed and suppressed within the society because it threatens the social structure there. Humans can be led to live in 'reality tunnels' by censorship, so that they have no access to information that would let form dissentiong opinions. We see this where a single political party controls all media, where a dominant religion has suppressed competition, and where some subjects are considered taboo.
It has also been observed that the rulers of a society may not want most of their citizens to be as intelligent as they might be, as intelligent citizens might be competitors or rebels. The Nicaraguan dictator put it this way: "I don't want educated citizens, I want oxen!" And NYC Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto writes that public schools were modeled on Prussian schools to turn willful, wily children into dull clock-punchers.
My readings on human potential (such as Tesla's prodigious ability to design a machine in his head, let it run subconsciously for a few weeks, and mentally dismantle it to check for wear) suggest to me that the first FAI may well be a radically enhanced human cyborg rather than a fully nonorganic AI, since conscious thought is only a small part of what the brain does for a living and there are other useful functions going on behind the scenes (I'm told 90% of the brain's processing is used just to keep the body vertical and the horizon level.)
Tom Buckner
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