From: Ken Clements (Ken@Innovation-On-Demand.com)
Date: Sat Mar 25 2000 - 10:02:12 MST
Brent Allsop wrote:
> Ken Clements <Ken@Innovation-On-Demand.com> replied:
>
> > ... for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it
> > so: <Hamlet 2:2>
>
> I think this is blatantly and obviously BS. My Grandmother is
> dead! I miss her horribly and feel huge amounts of pain because of
> this. She is the creator of my parents and ultimately of me and has
> given me much of the world I have. She deserves this world she gave
> to me much more than I do. The fact that she is now dead is BAD! No
> thinking any being could possibly do, whether emotional or purely
> abstract rational thinking like a computer could do, make this
> anything other than BAD, and the fact that we are still alive Good.
>
> Brent Allsop
I am sorry to hear you lost someone so close and important to you, and
understand why you think that this is bad (and thus, it is). Not all
people see the end of life the same way. Some religious people see it as
an opportunity for a promotion. Some who are suffering see it as a
welcome end. However, in general those who thought the loss of life was
bad (for themselves and family members), avoided it, and left more
offspring to continue the idea that the loss of life was bad. So, that
basic value goes in the Creative Tautology bag (things that seem like
discoveries, but then you realize it had to be that way).
This may be a good time for people on this list to think about the Good v.
Bad memeplex. We need this to provide a foundation for the discussion of
the development of future technology, and is directly applicable to the
question of how AI devices making decisions will impact *our* future.
I like to tell the following story about good and bad. I do not know
where it comes from, perhaps one of you does:
Once there was a man who owned a prized stallion. This horse was admired
by his friends, and he gained much stature in the village for having
raised this magnificent animal. The villagers would say, "How good for
you that your colt has grown so big and strong." The man would say,
"Perhaps it is so."
However, one day, his big strong horse kicked down the fence and went off
into the mountains. The villagers came to the man and said, "This is
terrible, that your great horse is gone." The man replied, "Perhaps it is
so." But then, a week later, the horse came back to the farm, and brought
four wild mares with him. The villagers said, "This is so good for you;
now you have the start of a heard that will bring you much wealth." The
man replied, "Perhaps it is so."
A week after the return of the man's horse, his only son was badly injured
while trying to ride one of the wild mares. This left him crippled and
able to walk only with a crutch. The villagers said, "Things have turned
out as bad as can be. It would have been better if you horse had never
returned." The man replied, "Perhaps it is so." But then, the next year,
war broke out in the next province, and the government came and took away
all the sons of the village, except the lame son of the man. The
villagers said ...
-Ken
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