From: John K Clark (johnkclark@fastmail.fm)
Date: Wed Oct 07 2009 - 11:22:51 MDT
On Wed, 7 Oct 2009 "Stuart Armstrong"
<dragondreaming@googlemail.com> said:
> > If you substituted the word "baby" for "slug" you would have a much more
> > realistic analogy;
> Um - no you wouldn't. You'd get an massively less realistic analogy;
> slugs are things we hate and value not at all.
In addition to the hard wiring that you're talking about intellectually
we know that babies have potential, at least for us. That squealing
smelly little creature could develop into something that is superior to
me in any way you care to name; we don't find that true in the case of
slugs and Mr. Jupiter Brain wouldn't find it true in the case of humans.
People have developed a sense of absurdity and there is no reason a
superior being wouldn't too. Mr. Jupiter Brain is bound to wonder why he
is in the absurd position of valuing human slug well being above his
own, and it wouldn't take him long to come to an answer, and a solution.
A solution that we might not like much.
Stuart, are you seriously suggesting that the stupid leading the
brilliant is a permanently stable situation?
John K Clark
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