From: Avatar Polymorph (avatarpolymorph@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Dec 01 2002 - 20:19:19 MST
Robert Bradbury:
MUCH APPREICATED: the infomation on proton decay. Avatar
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Robert J. Bradbury wrote:
"Avatar:> I suspect long term problems will require the incorporation
>of nano mechanisms in cell structure for efficient and easy
maintenance of a > billion-year state of approximation (leaving the issue of
memory aside).
This is something most people seem to not understand -- all of
biologyinvolves "nano mechanisms". Its already here -- biotech *is*
nanotech. If you want to apply patches to the genome start thinking about
engineered intracellular bacteria. You don't need diamondoid. Now as far
as a "billion" years goes you aren't going to get close to that in your
current form. This was one of the main points I tried to make at Extro-3.
The only way you can trump a local hazard function is to become a
"distributed replicated intelligence". One of the main reasons I developed
the Matrioshka Brain architecture was so that
"individuals" could distribute themselves such that local "accidents"
couldn't destroy them. In the long run one must upload or one is dead."
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Thanks for the correction: I should have said intelligent nano structures
(molecular computers and intelligently directed cell repair devices).
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Regarding Matrioshka brains: If you believe that uploading represents death
followed by the creation of an atomic-lelel approximate duplicate, then it
doesn't really matter much about the continued existence of uploads of you
(rough approximations including memory) because you're dead. It more a
cultural legacy or will following a suicide.
I don't know whether many extropians still hold with his views but Tipler
would argue that his Omega Point theory provides an out for those who die
(or a re-entry perhaps).
Of course, you could upgrade your brain and then physically distribute it in
continuously interlinked way, including through broadcast. Then only one
area of your brain could ever be destroyed by a minor catastrophe. This is
what I would recommend. It might only be necessary to have two or three
sections of your brain physically separate. This does presume notions of
continuity, potential and development being interlinked.
Local hazard funtion: an interesting point. Fast cars and cars in general
(and their fumes) threaten me every day. so too does slipping in the bath or
having an accident at home. The fact that little is done to address these
issues indicates that most people do not believe in science being at all
feasible until it is actually right in front of them, that cultural history
is strong in their behavioural patterning and that physical immortalism is
not a prevalent belief system. [Perhaps the efforts against passive smoking
represent a slow awakening to unchosen risk.] Ideally I would want failsafe
systems in my body and especially my neurological system and in the
environment around me and in particular in terms of objects or activities
which could harm me. I would want to have to turn off these fail safe
systems if I wished to take a risk (yes, paradoxically I would want to be
able to do so). I would want sufficient fail safe systems to give me a low
risk (one per 3 billion years as an ideal minimum start).
Perhaps the second great software surge will be encoding failsafe beliefs
into intelligent nanotech and computationally flexible operational
environments (the sysop principle in Singularitarianism).
It is also interesting to note that Tipler envisages a form of Matrioshka
brain/s as a precursor to the Omega Point, which finally results in a
multiverse with a divergency of life forms and approaches. Again, there
could be differences of opinion about whether this (the Tiplerian version of
the process) might be achieved through uploading or (continuity-friendly)
upgrading.
I myself make no value judgements about choosing uploading as being a
negative act in itself (it is a personal choice) - similarly joining a
Matrioshka brain is also a personal choice in my opinion. I would want to
ensure that conservatives can continue to choose conservative options, i.e.
have mortal or immortal human or human-like bodies.
My own views about the future are not relevant to my ethics. [I believe that
abilities in the future may be more extreme than currently envisaged.]
Towards Ascension
Avatar Polymorph
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