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When noted biologist and public intellectual E.O. Wilson visited the Grist offices touting his new book The Meaning of Human Existence, we took the opportunity to ask him: Well? What is it?What followed was a deep and often funny conversation about who we are, where we came from, and why Interstellar is a poor example of melding science with the humanities (burn, Nolans). Oh, and Mr. Wilson’s also got some heady notions about where both our species and the planet are headed. Watch the video to have your mind blown.
The origin of consciousness was a world-defining event, comparable only with the origin of life itself. Buried deep in the evolutionary record, the transition to minimal consciousness has far-reaching biological and philosophical implications. In this article, accompanied by art illustrations by Anna Zeligowski, Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka put forward their new theory about how it began. Inspired by a scientific method used to pinpoint the transition from non-life to life, they establish a set of criteria for minimal consciousness and a unique identifying marker that fits them. This marker, they argue, drove the Cambrian explosion of biological diversity and provides an answer to the question of what organisms have consciousness.
MuZero is an algorithm with a superhuman ability to learn: it has learned to play 57 different Atari video games as well as Chess, Go and Shogi, and defeated the greatest human masters in every one of them. Yet, this amazing algorithm and the computer in which it is implemented are as conscious as your washing machine. Its “intelligence”, manifest in its learning ability, has nothing to do with consciousness – the ability to feel, perceive and think in the deeply subjective sense that we cherish. If you were told that you would become deprived of all subjective perceptions and feelings, you would be devastated and consider such a life to be meaningless. Intelligence – having the ability to learn and solve complex problems like MuZero does – and consciousness – being the subject of experience – seem to be unrelated.But are intelligence and consciousness really unrelated? Most people have the strong intuition that clever animals like chimpanzees, dolphins, elephants and dogs are conscious, whereas they are less sure about animals like sea anemones, worms and slugs that show only very simple forms of learning.
We looked at genes, proteins, anatomical brain regions and neurophysiological processes, but none of the many possibilities we examined entailed all the characteristic of consciousness. After a year of searching we found a promising marker: a capacity for open-ended associative learning, which we called unlimited associative learning.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently revealed its Tesla Bot, designed to be a humanoid robot that will perform boring, and dangerous tasks. Here is everything Musk said about it at its AI day.
Imagine if you could plug your brain into a machine that would bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life. The only catch? You have to permanently leave reality behind. Hayley Levitt and Bethany Rickwald explore Robert Nozick’s thought experiment that he called the Experience Machine.
Would you opt for a life with no pain? - Hayley Levitt and Bethany Rickwald
What was the biggest revelation from Tesla's AI Day? Why Teslabot (or Optimus Subprime) of course! In this first of five videos on Tesla AI day, we cover what Elon Musk said this new robot is, how it will work, how it will change the world, and beyond!
I really can't see the point of a humanoid robot.
Human appendages are remarkably adaptable and fitted with exceptional sensors, but if you want a machine to do a, quote, boring and dangerous job, why not design one that can do exactly that and nothing else?
The human body is very adaptable to doing lots of things not very well, and there is no shortage (indeed a considerable surplus) of these devices around. Even the really clever bit, the brain, which remains far beyond the capability of any technology, is ludicrously cheap to make and fun to train. What the brain needs, in order to better express itself, is dumb machines that do a few things extremely well.
restating those basic assumptions in fewer words:1. There is universe.2. There are universal laws.
In this thread I'd like to discuss if there is a goal or desired condition which is applicable for any organisms who have adequate time to evolve or develop until they are basically independent from condition of their natural environments.
Quote from: hamdani yusuf on 09/09/2017 07:41:27In this thread I'd like to discuss if there is a goal or desired condition which is applicable for any organisms who have adequate time to evolve or develop until they are basically independent from condition of their natural environments.I think utopia is reached by all living things at the time of death. This is the only way to escape the environment.
Don't you think it means that killing everyone is a good thing?
Quote from: hamdani yusuf on 30/08/2021 05:23:37Don't you think it means that killing everyone is a good thing?No death comes naturally every one must wait their turn.
Would you prefer to live shorter? or live longer instead?Will you do anything to live longer or shorter (according to your own preference)?Or you won't do anything of such efforts, and Is killed by contagious diseases natural enough for you? what about venomous snake, or being struck by lightning?
leave it to nature?
leave it to nature?Is the best way.
An appeal to nature is an argument or rhetorical tactic in which it is proposed that "a thing is good because it is 'natural', or bad because it is 'unnatural'".[1] It is generally considered to be a bad argument because the implicit (unstated) primary premise "What is natural is good" is typically irrelevant, having no cogent meaning in practice, or is an opinion instead of a fact. In some philosophical frameworks where natural and good are clearly defined within a specific context, the appeal to nature might be valid and cogent.
Some popular examples of the appeal to nature can be found on labels and advertisements for food, clothing, alternative herbal remedies, and many other areas.[4][9] Labels may use the phrase "all-natural", to imply that products are environmentally friendly and safe. However, whether or not a product is "natural" is irrelevant, in itself, in determining its safety or effectiveness.[4][10] For example, many dangerous poisons are compounds that are found in nature.It is also common practice for medicine to be brought up as an appeal to nature, stating that medicine is "unnatural" and therefore should not be used.[9] This is particularly notable as an argument employed against the practice of vaccination.[11]On the topic of meat consumption, Peter Singer argues that it is fallacious to say that eating meat is morally acceptable simply because it is part of the "natural way", as the way that humans and other animals do behave naturally has no bearing on how we should behave. Thus, Singer claims, the moral permissibility or impermissibility of eating meat must be assessed on its own merits, not by appealing to what is "natural".[12]
An appeal to nature is an argument or rhetorical tactic in which it is proposed that "a thing is good because it is 'natural', or bad because it is 'unnatural'
Earthquakes and cyclones are part of nature and they are not a good thing but when it comes to death it is a matter of choice at the time as to make every effort to recover or let go and take the easy route utopia.
mRNA vaccines are unnatural. Does it mean that they are bad, as they can prevent some deaths?