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While thought experiments are meant to challenge readers to think about things in different ways they always seem to miss the mark for me. They are like really bad stories with continuity errors, plot holes, and preachy subtext. Maybe it is because they are usually created by academics but thought experiments wreak of pretentious attempts to dumb down a moral, social, or scientific concept into a clever puzzle for the masses.
Read MoreWould you rather do something because you think it has value or live with the harsh truth that what your doing is nonsense? Sometimes giving it up means losing that value you thought was there. If so, you would have to find value in other things and other activities. It might even be possible to engage in those activities for different reasons and retain the value that derives from them. If one gives up religion they give up a set a way of life and the consequences of that should not to be taken lightly.
Read MoreI saw three different pots, one small, one that you can throw with both hands that exploded, and huge ones hanging. Maybe these pots will become living pots. I saw a crazy crossbow, a fan shield, and a man fly with angel wings. I saw a mesmerizing force with yellow eyes and red flames that scorched the earth. I saw some megafauna and a face-sucking demon. Not in a good way. I saw mysteries and treasures and I saw myself exploring it all in June.
Read MoreThese are my thoughts on how one might be able to create an AI that could talk about its internal self to an outside interlocutor. I certainly feel like my internal consciousness occupies a place in my mind but it is only accessible to me. Combining two AI programs and limiting them in the ways described might allow for a self-aware AI that could act in ways that we would describe as conscious. This is a very complicated thing to work out and I’m not sure it is a good idea to work toward this goal but it might lead to a better understanding of human consciousness and more useful AI systems. The moral implications of this are a different consideration and one that should be critically evaluated by those attempting to advance AI, robots, and technology in general.
Read MoreDuring the debate, there are many considerations about what god can and can not do. This contradicts the notion that god is “all-powerful”. If god wanted something to happen then what would stop them? The god that Ben explains seems to be very weak and very humanlike in that they are trying to convince others of something instead of just making it happen. Also, if god was against slavery but didn’t think that humans were ready for a big change then why did he go out of his way to give rules about how to treat slaves? Why not just leave the subject alone? Why negotiate with humans about something immoral when you can simply tell people to stop doing it “or else”?
Read MoreDo you want to work your way to the top for the sole purpose of doing less and dictating more? Is status and power important to you but you don't really want to do much? Then you're in the right place.
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