What one should look at in this statement is "...for us *as*
biological beings...". I think that we will most assuredly NOT remain
completely biological. In your post you talk about AI's and robots
evolving, exploring the universe, replicating, etc...all independantly
from us mere humans. It may be directed by us, but as you said, they will
replicate, expand, begin to lead their own lives. But is it really
reasonable to believe that full fledged AI will not be *incorporated* into
*our* very existence? I'm not speaking about merely using the technology
and treating it as a seperate entity from ourselves, but what about
*integrating* it with our own person, our bodies, our minds. Yes, we may
indeed send a plethora of intelligent robots to explore and colonize the
universe, but I think it much more likely, when we are finally able to
achieve such abilities as colonization (or rather, when we get off our
asses and actually do it), we will be much more than just humans with
powerful external technology. We will be man-machine combinations. The
very intelligent technology that we send to colonize the universe will be
ourselves. WE will be the intelligent technology. And as Hara Ra said
regarding the question of finding a reason for living forever, "We need a
reason?". Desire for life and knowledge is more than enough.
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>H >H
Roderick A. Carder-Russell
Transhumanist/Immortalist/Cryonicist
Suspension Member - Alcor Foundation
specializing in man-machine symbiosis
e-mail: rodc@shore.net WWW: http://www.shore.net/~rodc/home.html
>H >H
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