Singularity in near Ch7~Ch8

p 374  If we regard a human modified with technology as no longer human, where would we draw the defining line?

 

p 377  Clearly, nonbiological entities will claim to have emotional and spiritual experiences, just as we do today.  ... In fact, these future machines will be even more humanlike than humans today. ... These nonbiological entities will be extremely intelligent, so they will be able to convince others that they are conscious.

 

p 384  If we copy me and then destroy the original, that's the end of me.

 

I wish Professor can keep this website for a very long time, after 30 years, the nonbiological or our clones might read this blog, they may inspire by our discussions as we inspired by RK's book.

 

Here's an interesting info, in 1825 English mathematician Benjamin Gompertz published his "Gompertz's law of mortality", a demographic model saying that human's death rate was lowest when it comes to the age of puberty, which is 10~15 years old.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gompertz-Makeham_law_of_mortality

Insurance companies calculated the cost of life insurance used his concept. But what is fascinating here is that we can say evolution made it beneficial to the species for older organisms to die after they have fulfilled the function of procreation. I think mortality as well as consciousness, is important factor to differ robot from human being. But what if human can successful create clone in the future, when clone lives but we died, can we still claim that we still alive?

 

There's a movie tells the story of a future world (2019) where affluent people have the option to have themselves cloned in order to insure they have a guaranteed matching source for organs, blood, or any other replacement body parts that may be needed. The clone is a "insurance policies", it cost five million dollars to have another "you." (The Island 2005)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399201/plotsummary

You might not known the film so well because it isn't an blockbuster here in U.S., only $36 million at the United States box office, but went on to gross $127 million overseas. I like this film because it reminds me many stories and scenarios I ever saw in other movies and comics about human cloning, artificial intelligence, and "singularitarian". Maybe I will post others movies entertaining in the movies blog.

 

The other question might not happen soon, but I think need to consider as well. Some human beings want to be singularized, to become immortal, even being a robot man. What if robot wants to being human, can we embrace him/ her without prejudice and discrimination?

 

Vannevar Bush predicted "advanced arithmetical machines of the future" in 1945, after 20 years, computers attests to the extraordinary prediction of his vision. Ray Kurzweil, as a notability, inventor, and a rich man, he wants to share his view of the future computer / human development too. No matter RK said will become true or not, (I searched his book's comments on website, many people don't buy his idea) I did enjoy the thinking and exploration in this course. Singularity, let's roll.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity