J. R. Molloy writes:
> Jon Reeves insightfully writes:
>
> > The extermination (or enslavement) of several billion people would surely
> > require an expenditure of a considerable amount of time and energy - even
> > for an SI. What motivation could it have for doing so ?
Removal of a forest, to make place for fields, houses and parking lots
requires an expenditure of a considerable amount of time and
energy. Nevertheless, it is being done, because we people actually
need the space. I would like to see for what kind of animals (apart
from humans, their pets and parasites) can thrive in the parking lot
habitat. Or inside of your house.
The new ecology occupies space and need energy. You're in the way, and
because the newcomers are so much fitter, you're dead meat.
> Some of the scientists who build SIs may feel the project entails too much risk.
> In order to satisfy the expectations of such SI workers, the SI may kill
> everyone... leaving the queasy SI workers for last.
The seed may be vulnerable, but not for long. Especially if it escapes
into the global network. It will probably not even actively terminate,
just expand. If you happen to be in the way (and you can't avoid being
in the way, because the expansion is so fast), the atoms in your body
will be recycled, and become part of the SI. No harsh feelings, I hope.
> > It seems to me that most sapients consider diversity to be a very important
> > thing - why would a A/SI not think the same. To keep humans around would
> > require very little expense to the SI, while at the same time providing it
> > with an enormous pool of intellectual diversity.
Becase the SI is not homogenous, but an ecology. Including species
much dumber than humans. Dumb, but deadly.
> No, because the SI would find about as much stimulating diversity in human
> relations as humans find in poetry written by monkeys.
It is a question of vastly differing fitness, and living in the same
niche. Whether god, or god's lice, you're fair game. The god will not
care and 3453adfb5345.345w453353 you, the lice will just eat you.
> > The notion that an SI would just wake up and decide to wipe out humanity
The thing does not wake up, it evolves from a seed. And it is not one,
but many, and all of them very different. Some of them might even want
to protect you against the others, though I can't imagine why.
> > strikes me as absurd - to do so would require tremendous arrogance, and I
> > would hope that something supposedly more intelligent than us would realise
> > how stupid it was being.
Evolution is not arrogant, it is evolution. Do not anthromorphize.
> >
> There's nothing inherently stupid about wiping out Homo sapiens sapiens
> (especially if your friends need the space).
Indeedy.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 02 2000 - 17:37:32 MDT