From: Rafal Smigrodzki (rafal@smigrodzki.org)
Date: Wed Jul 23 2003 - 17:59:13 MDT
Robin wrote:
>
> Our behavior is roughly what was optimal for having the most progeny
> a hundred thousand years ago, but much of that behavior is hard-coded
> in our genes, and genetic evolution is rather slow at adapting to our
> now rapidly changing environment. With direct genetic modification,
> uploads, etc., soon that adaptation should become much more rapid,
> allowing evolution to catch up with our changing environment.
### I remember reading about an experiment on the growth of a colony of mice
in a limited space. The mice were given food ad libitum, and were otherwise
cared for as usual, except that their offspring was not transferred out of
the cage. There were also no predators or parasites to interfere. After a
few generations of exponential growth the mice became too crowded for the
young too allow normal sexual maturation (this effect was presumably
mediated by the stress or high concentrations of pheromones). Yet, the
parent generation still bred, increasing crowding even further. After some
time, all the parental generation mice became infertile with aging, and died
out, leaving exclusively infertile mice, still quite crowded. After a few
more months all of them died.
In this case the evolved adaptations didn't catch up with the dramatic
change in the environment, and resulted in death by overpopulation. Now, we
can imagine many scenarios for the future, some of which might actually
require the removal of the individual urge to procreate, in order to prevent
catastrophic events. Let's say that a reliable modeling method predicts that
the existence of more than N independent volitional systems (minds with
independent, self-modifiable goals) within a volume of space inevitably
results in a destructive chain reaction of internecine warfare. In that
case, a coalition of minds might form, perhaps aided by techniques for
assuring transparency of motives, to keep the population below N, perhaps a
very low number, much less than the physical carrying capacity of the
substrate. If the coalition fails, all minds die like stupid mice. This
could be a situation where population stabilizes, because of objective,
internal limitations on the stability of societies, perhaps imposed by
constraints on information processing abilities achievable in this universe.
I don't think this is the case, I tend to think that expansion and
proliferation will be decisive for successful survival at superhuman levels
of intelligence as well, but one never knows.
Rafal
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