Re: FAQ Additions (Posthuman mind control)

den Otter (neosapient@geocities.com)
Wed, 24 Feb 1999 12:45:09 +0100



> From: Billy Brown <bbrown@conemsco.com>
> I see two fatal criticisms of the idea suggested in the FAQ:
>
> First, it is mind control. Remember, posthumans are by definition fully
> sentient beings. Programming them to abide by a preordained moral code is
> no different than doing the same thing to our own children, or to each
> other. I can see no possible way to justify such an action on moral
> grounds.

Depends on your morals, right? For example, a rational Egoist shouldn't have too much moral trouble with such a solution (of course, he may still reject it on practical grounds, as the idea of controlling a posthuman is questionable). In fact, the way we raise our kids and indoctrinate people to keep them from anti-social and criminal behaviour is a universally accepted and indeed necessary form of programming. So if you accept this, then there is no *moral* reason not to accept putting some basic moral rules into an AI.

> I suggest that this passage be amended to remove the advocation of mass mind
> control. Perhaps something like this:
>
> In the first case, we could make sure that the first such entities possess
> a thorough understanding of, and respect for, existing human moral codes.

Better yet:

In the first case, we should make sure that such entities are *us*. Creating separate SIs (from AI) is a BIG mistake. We can certainly make sure that the new entities thoroughly understand us, but that by no means guarantees their respect for our moral codes.

> That would be enough to ensure that they at least think the whole thing
> through before adopting some completely alien viewpoint. It is also the
> strongest measure that I can see either a moral or a practical basis for.

Morals are subjective, but the most practical (=rational) course of action would be not to create AIs with SI potential and work on uploading instead. Again, our prime directive should _always_ be survival. Survival is the prerequisite for _all_ other actions. Any philosophy that does not value personal survival [in an optimal state] above everything else is by definition irrational. Thus follows that transhumanism (with an immortalist element) is the best philosophy currently available to us.