A great ethical dilemma is presented with the advent and development of artificial intelligence, a dilemma of "logical thinking vs. moral thinking."
What we as humans consider moral and ethical thinking is often strictly objective relative to our own personal interests. As humans grow the majority of children are taught what it means to be moral based on cultural and societal norms, but when looked at independently of our personal upbringings one can see that humans are raised with specific morals regarding what it means to be "human."
A problem that will face society in the near future is creating an intelligence that functions only logically and not "humanly" moral because when looked at objectively and logically without human based morals one could assert that our very existence isn't in the best interest of the environment or even other species. There is a growing fear among powerful figures in today's society that if an artificial intelligence gains self awareness that it would eradicate the human species for the betterment of the world.
These thoughts however bring up a great thought experiment one could have, "is my life in the best interests of myself, the human race, or the world." I don't think that I will experience problems in my lifetime with artificial intelligence, but these thoughts really allow one to look at one's life from a different angle. There's a difference between doing good for humanity and doing good for the world, and often times those interests conflict with one another, but if as a collective conscious, we could merge these interests together, I believe that we can truly grow as a species and really discover our place among the universe.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/27/elon-musk-artificial-intelligence-ai-biggest-existential-threat
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Longevity Gene
It's interesting to think about living longer. Think about being able to see your children and your children's children grow up and live their life. Who wouldn't want that?
One must think of the adverse effects of living longer before seriously assessing if it truly feasible. The world is already struggling with overpopulation and extending the expected lifespan of people in the developed world would not help solve this issue. With the current amount of resources it would not be beneficial have a population larger than 11 billion, at such a point, resources would become scarce and every war that has ever occurred has been fought over resources.
The second issue that is presented with extended longevity is the issue of who gets the benefit. How would we choose who is able to live longer, would it be a whole societal thing or an option only available to those who can afford it? Additionally, if the entire society is able to access the benefit of living longer would population control protocols, such as limiting births, be implemented and is it ethical to limit births?
Living longer may not be such a bad thing though. If for example humans have to vacate earth in an attempt to find a new habitable planet, it would be highly beneficial to extend people's lives since space travel requires so much time to accomplish.
These are issues that society will eventually face, but for now these possibilities are still just dreams.
Article regarding increasing people's lifespan through use of stem cells
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130131144423.htm
One must think of the adverse effects of living longer before seriously assessing if it truly feasible. The world is already struggling with overpopulation and extending the expected lifespan of people in the developed world would not help solve this issue. With the current amount of resources it would not be beneficial have a population larger than 11 billion, at such a point, resources would become scarce and every war that has ever occurred has been fought over resources.
The second issue that is presented with extended longevity is the issue of who gets the benefit. How would we choose who is able to live longer, would it be a whole societal thing or an option only available to those who can afford it? Additionally, if the entire society is able to access the benefit of living longer would population control protocols, such as limiting births, be implemented and is it ethical to limit births?
Living longer may not be such a bad thing though. If for example humans have to vacate earth in an attempt to find a new habitable planet, it would be highly beneficial to extend people's lives since space travel requires so much time to accomplish.
These are issues that society will eventually face, but for now these possibilities are still just dreams.
Article regarding increasing people's lifespan through use of stem cells
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130131144423.htm
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