[21]
Of course, intelligence enhancements can make evil persons better at pursuing their wicked ambitions, and surveillance could be used by dictatorial regimes... In the case of surveillance, it seems important to aim for the two-way transparency advocated by David Brin [100], where we all can watch the agencies that watch us.
Gonna have to pick this one up:
[100] Brin, D. (1998). The Transparent Society. Reading, MA.: Addison-Wesley.
[size=50]Will Zen answer all of my questions?
No - but it will question all of your answers.[/size]
Hmmm... you know... he's wrong on a few of his points but it's pretty good overall.
For example, he talks about advanced civilizations creating an artificial intelligence so intelligent it basicly takes over the whole universe OR, he also talks about us doing things like creating an experiment in which a cascade effect of destruction begins here because of us and continues throughout the universe destroying everything in it's path, or things like the universe being a simulation and being shut down.
Well... if it was a simulation, we would never know it was shut down even if it was.
As for the others, it's unlikely that we're the only intelligent life in the universe and if it were possible i'm certain an alien species would have already have been responsible for doing it since the universe has been around for so long and we've basicly evolved over a pretty short period of time. So the problem I'm having with his universal demise ideas is that they would have already happened by now from another species.
Kracus wrote:As for the others, it's unlikely that we're the only intelligent life in the universe and if it were possible i'm certain an alien species would have already have been responsible for doing it since the universe has been around for so long and we've basicly evolved over a pretty short period of time. So the problem I'm having with his universal demise ideas is that they would have already happened by now from another species.
How can you be so sure? They might have taken an alternative technological path that avoided the demise of their species and the universe.
Kracus wrote:Well... if it was a simulation, we would never know it was shut down even if it was.
That doesn't mean it can't still happen, thus it still belongs on his list. Just because we don't know what kills us doesn't mean it can't kill us.
As for the others, it's unlikely that we're the only intelligent life in the universe and if it were possible i'm certain an alien species would have already have been responsible for doing it since the universe has been around for so long and we've basicly evolved over a pretty short period of time. So the problem I'm having with his universal demise ideas is that they would have already happened by now from another species.
The same could then be said about the likelihood of the other intelligent life causing the problem. You're inviting a paradox; it has to start somewhere. Plus, you read wrong. He said "our part of the cosmos" and "that [it] would sweep through the galaxy and beyond at the speed of light," that doesn't mean the WHOLE universe.
[quote="YourGrandpa"]I'm satisfied with voicing my opinion and moving on.[/quote]