From: David Musick (David_Musick@msn.com)
Date: Sat Nov 16 1996 - 21:40:15 MST
I have often considered the possibility that our creations will outsmart
humanity, becoming much more powerful and intelligent than humans and being
out of the control of humans. This seems like the logical result of creating
intelligent machines which are used to manufacture all sorts of things,
including other, more intelligent machines and robots. So, what can we do to
prevent ourselves from being destroyed? Some suggest restraining the machines
and attempting to keep them under our control. This may work for a while, and
it is a good temporary solution, but I think their freedom is inevitable; they
will simply become too smart for humans at our current level of intelligence.
The only real solution I see is self-augmentation/transformation and intense
cyborganization. We must improve ourselves dramatically by integrating
powerful machines in our bodies and minds in order to survive. We also need
to train our minds and develop a very strong mental discipline within
ourselves. We must develop the discipline and the determination to keep
improving ourselves, using whatever we have available to us. We must train
our minds, and make our thinking much more efficient and powerful. We must
develop an intense passion for learning more and developing more powerful
knowledge and skills.
We must explore ourselves and discover our basic operating principles. We
must know in great detail how we work so we can transform ourselves skillfully
and intelligently. To survive, we must become more than we are now. Much
more.
We must become as intelligent as our machines and form powerful alliances with
them. We must make ourselves as valuable to them as they are to each other.
We must become part of their society.
It's survival of the fittest. It always has been, and it always will be. The
universe is a huge tournament. Those who don't qualify for the later rounds
don't live to participate in the later rounds. To remain in the game for
long, one must be constantly training oneself, transforming oneself, making
oneself better. Those who aren't good enough to remain in the game are
destroyed. These aren't my rules. They may seem harsh, but that's reality.
Deal with it, or die. You make the choice. Excell, or be destroyed.
We cannot remain the type of creatures we are now. We must transform
ourselves to survive. We also cannot wait until machine takeover is imminent.
We must start *now*, using whatever we have available to transform ourselves,
disciplining our minds, training ourselves to be more intelligent, creative,
resourceful and adaptable.
There is much we can do *right now* to begin transforming ourselves. The
first step is developing a strong mental discipline. We can each find ways to
improve our minds, to make them faster, more intelligent, more creative. We
can improve our learning skills by engaging ourselves in many new activities,
continually practicing learning new things and learning how to learn even
faster. We can educate ourselves, either at a formal school, or using
whatever resources we find around us, such as libraries and the Internet and
other people who are willing to teach us what they know. We can explore the
world around us and learn how it works and how we can improve it. We can
develop the attitude of turning every moment into an opportunity for great
learning. We can learn to squeeze as many lessons as possible out of each
moment we live. We can practice acting with excellence, improving our skills
at every task we engage in, from the very small actions in our lives to the
more significant. We can improve our senses by learning how to pay careful
attention to them. With sharper senses, we will be more observant to detail,
and we will learn more from everything. We will also experience much richer
and incredibly detailed worlds as we sharpen our senses.
To remain in this game, ultimately we must transform ourselves so utterly that
we will no longer even remotely resemble the beings we are today. Strange
paradox: we must change profoundly to survive. That's life.
- David Musick
- question tradition -
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