From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Aug 22 2003 - 03:07:02 MDT
Just found the site of the International Journal of Astrobiology.
Yummy! Some interesting papers about planets in eccentric orbits or
high obliquities.
Especially one paper caught my eye:
http://journals.cambridge.org/bin/bladerunner?REQUNIQ=1061542659&REQSESS=8579264&118000REQEVENT=&REQINT1=163278&REQAUTH=0amienb@unimelb.edu.au
Cultural evolution, the postbiological universe and SETI
Steven J. Dick a1 a1 US Naval Observatory, 3450 Massachusetts Avenue,
NW, Washington, DC 20392-5420, USA e-mail: sdick@cox.net
International Journal of Astrobiology (2003), 2:65-74 Cambridge
University Press Copyright © 2003 Cambridge University Press DOI
10.1017/S147355040300137X
Abstract
The Biological Universe (Dick 1996) analysed the history of the
extraterrestrial life debate, documenting how scientists have assessed
the chances of life beyond Earth during the 20th century. Here I
propose another option that we may in fact live in a postbiological
universe, one that has evolved beyond flesh and blood intelligence to
artificial intelligence that is a product of cultural rather than
biological evolution. MacGowan & Ordway (1966), Davies (1995) and
Shostak (1998), among others, have broached the subject, but the
argument has not been given the attention it is due, nor has it been
carried to its logical conclusion. This paper argues for the necessity
of long-term thinking when contemplating the problem of intelligence in
the universe. It provides arguments for a postbiological universe,
based on the likely age and lifetimes of technological civilizations
and the overriding importance of cultural evolution as an element of
cosmic evolution. And it describes the general nature of a
postbiological universe and its implications for the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence.
(Received November 15 2002) (Accepted October 3 2002)
Key Words: artificial intelligence; biological universe; cosmic
evolution; cultural evolution; postbiological universe; SETI.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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