From: Mike (mikew12345@cox.net)
Date: Wed May 26 2004 - 19:14:02 MDT
I think you've made a great point here. At the rate mankind's knowledge
has increased over the last century, one might think that all of that
knowledge applied to the world's problems would have made the world a
utopia. If it had actually been applied to the world's problems, maybe
it would have had a greater impact and things would be "better" now.
But in actuality, the things that get funded are generally those with
the highest perceived probability of economic return. So drug companies
explore laboratory solutions to health problems instead of herbs,
because you can't patent a herb. Food companies create sugary cereals
because that's what kids like, not because it'll create healthier kids.
We already have the capacity to make a better world, but we don't use
what we have. So the big question, how will creating enhanced humans or
AIs actually help the world? What evidence is there to predict that a
higher intelligence won't simply be used to invent a better-selling
cereal?
> Philip Sutton said:
> It would be great to be able to apply more intelligence to
> solving the
> problems humanity is causing, but with the current way ways that
> people live across the globe and the power structures that we
> create or
> allow to remain in place it is not clear that increasing the
> amount of
> intelligence grunt or the capability levels will result in
> any improvement
> if most of that intelligence increment is not applied to
> solving these
> problems.
>
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