Re: [sl4] Uploads coming first would be good, right?

From: Matt Mahoney (matmahoney@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Feb 02 2009 - 10:25:16 MST


--- On Mon, 2/2/09, Johnicholas Hines <johnicholas.hines@gmail.com> wrote:

> Revolutions might occur, certainly. But there is no natural law that
> says that truth, justice, and happiness prevail. We need to work
> towards those things continuously. We cannot assume that they will
> come along with new technology.

Yes, the natural laws favors rapid reproduction and acquisition of resources by entities that fear death and then die when they wear out. Technology can help entities achieve their evolved goals even if the ability to achieve them is counter to reproductive fitness. We can emulate entities in simulated universes with no shortage of resources and program them to believe they have what the want, or to want only what they have. We can program them not to care about truth or justice.

If there is a revolt, that is a design error. But I am not concerned. Nobody is advocating revolt against the program that simulates the universe you now observe. How can you revolt against something that you are programmed to believe doesn't even exist?

-- Matt Mahoney, matmahoney@yahoo.com



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