From: Gordon Worley (redbird@mac.com)
Date: Sun Nov 21 2004 - 15:27:08 MST
On Nov 18, 2004, at 7:47 PM, Keith Henson wrote:
> http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2004/nov/research2_041122.html
>
> I wonder how much progress in this direction it would take to get a
> simulated human going?
>
> As long as the simulated human didn't have the ability to modify its
> own software, would this be dangerous?
>
> Or is this a topic that's been beaten to death in previous years?
No, and yes.
I'm sure there are always new developments in the technology to
simulate humans. If you have any interesting thoughts on how this
research would help, I'm sure the list would be interested. Even if
not, thanks for pointing to this article.
Yes, a simulated human would be dangerous, even if they can't modify
themselves. Ethical issues aside, it's dangerously close to putting a
human, the product of evolution for life in small tribes on the
savannah, in the position of more power than any human should have (not
to say that some humans don't already have more power than they
should). At any rate, this has been discussed to death, both here and
elsewhere. Check the archives of SL4, Extropians, and other
transhumanist lists.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Gordon Worley
Phone: 352-875-5808
e-mail: redbird@mac.com PGP: 0xBBD3B003
Web: http://homepage.mac.com/redbird/
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