From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Mon Sep 09 2002 - 00:51:44 MDT
Let's say you're an enlightened, moral, altruistic post-Singularity
civilization. From your perspective, there are several possible states
that matter can occupy:
1) Matter can be organized into citizens of your own enlightened, moral,
altruistic post-Singularity civilization.
2) Matter can be organized into boring uncomplex things like stars. This
is rather pointless so you want to transform this matter into state (1).
I mean, all else being equal, why not?
3) Matter can be organized into evolving but nonsentient replicators.
This still isn't exactly a lot of complexity by comparison with (1) and is
arguably (hey, I think so) pretty much morally the same as (2).
4) Matter can be organized into evolved, intelligent, but pre-Singularity
entities. In this case their quality of life is pretty hideous by
comparison with (1) so you want to show up and rescue them.
5) Matter can be organized into a different enlightened post-Singularity
civilization than your own. In this case you want to show up and say hi -
exchange information to increase the total nonduplicated complexity of the
universe.
6) Matter can be organized into shapes that are dangerous and unpleasant
as the result of Singularities gone wrong. You want to know where these
infestations are, maybe even do something about them, and you certainly
want to show up *before* that point if at all possible. In fact, this
alone provides an adequate rationale for cataloguing all the matter in the
universe and making sure none of it is developing into hostile
superintelligence. (Alternatively, you might want to run away into your
own little hidey-hole universe, in which case you are not visibly
engineering galaxies or whatever, which is how this conversation got started.)
I realize we don't know what choices smarter-than-human intelligences
would make, but the choice to sit and contemplate your own navel seems a
lot more anthropomorphic than the alternative. Even if you don't want to
reproduce, or you don't want to reproduce too often, you'll still want to
grow your mind over time.
Now, is there any good reason why an enlightened, moral post-Singularity
civilization would *not* be out to absorb, say hi to, or rescue all matter
in the universe?
PS: If anyone's listening, I'd like to volunteer for the Culture's
Contact section.
-- Eliezer S. Yudkowsky http://singinst.org/ Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
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