Posted on 02/10/2005 6:21:42 AM PST by Valin
His great revelation is essentially a lie, and the common man knows it. All the revelations they cite are not so reality shaking as they believe. Knowledge, in and of itself is only as powerful as its use. It wasn't until the space program ramped up that the heliocentric model began to have an everyday effect on people, and even now that is rather limited.
It amazes me that scientists can not shake themselves free of the linear extrapolation when modeling the future. History is full of discontinuities that can only be seen in hindsight, much less explained.
These goofs projecting a computer with the power of the human brain make me think they know no more about computing than the average journalist.
The architecture of our brains is radically different from computer architecture. It is like comparing the horsepower of a tractor to the horsepower of a formula one racer and deciding to use the formula one to plow your field.
Convergence of info, bio and nanotechnologies yielding 'protolife' artifacts.
Computationally-tractable solutions to protein folding, leading to genomic simulation and a practical basis for constructive organic (i.e. genetic) engineering.
Experientially confirmed theoretical basis for unification of quantum theory and gravity yielding a full-spectrum cosmology.
3D connection-dominated computing substrates (nanowires + molecular assemblies) yielding (virtual) petaflops.
I think you were predicted by Nostradamus to make this prediction..
Well done.. right on the mark..
Bruce Lipton--cells are very similar whether animal or human. Cells function well under denucleation--without DNA--for a considerable time. Our entire bodies are a community of individual cells--the next level of fractal organization of the same thing. 50 trillion cells in a community act as a single cell, no more, no less.
Such machines will be able to make calculations faster, solving problems in less time than it takes humans to think them up..
They will be able to take available information and shuffle it around, determine the results, and possibly, decide whether those results are "useful"..
They will be able to build on the information we give them, check most of it for accuracy or reliability, and build on it to obtain more information..
They will be able to handle very large amounts of information.. and access it quickly...
They "may" be able to consider the consequences of their actions, maybe not..
They won't "care" unless we teach them what to care about..
It will always be "data" to be manipulated in order to achieve the desired results, within whatever constraints we put upon them..
And if we're smart, we'll put constraints upon them.. or teach them to "learn" what the proper constraints are.. or should be..
We are more than a "computational model"..
While we can be "emulated", we cannot be duplicated..
I don't think any machine would ever have conceived of religion.. They will never understand it, and will probably never adhere to a religious belief of any kind..
I'm not sure machines would have ever developed Philosophy.. and I'm not sure they will ever find a "use" for it..
I doubt they will ever place value on human life.. or any life for that matter.. Except as "material".. Something of use...
Our artificial "descendants" may outstrip us physically, even mentally, as far as the "real" world is concerned..
They will probably be the ones to actually explore the universe, maybe even other dimensions, places we could never go and survive..
They may be able to figure out a way for us to tag along.. I sort of hope so..
I think they will find out they need us..
To tell them what it all means..
Damn. You set that up, didn't you?
Are we vegetables or minerals?
We are DEVO..
Not sure I agree-- if those are denucleated cells, as I thought I saw you post on another thread, then they do fine until they need to repair themselves (fall down & scrape your knee, anyone?)
if those are nucleated cells, they don't always do so well once you start smoking cigarettes :-0
Cheers!
This has got to be the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard.
I believe that the melding of brain and machine will lead to the ultimateage of the individual, able to manipulate our environment in every way we can dream of and a billion ways that we can't.
Why in the world would we build a machine that can take over? Would we build a car that can take over? That can forage on its own for fuel and spare parts?
I believe that we'll build superior machines that will work in concert with our natural intelligence.
Just IMHO of course :)
Godspeed
Well, basically humans are another TYPE of animal. I don't see that that's all that we HAVE to be though.
God-given human intelligence makes all the difference and WILL make all the difference IMHO.
People like to look at today like it's the end of science and human achievement, but I tend to think that it's only the beginning, well, the discovery and utilization of the scientific method was the beginning, we're a step or two into the fantastic human future now.
Godspeed
It's Junior! Hey, humans are humans, children of God. Not vegtables, minerals, animals, gases, isotopes......
And yet, physically, we share all the characteristics of animals. Indeed, a lot of the stuff that affects animals (medicines, diseases, environment) also affect human beings. Go figure.
There is another part of the new view. The environment is us. We are the environment, or a kind of mirror image. Crud up the environment and it comes right back on you.
That's right! But to call a human an animal? Go ahead, but I wouldn't.
And we're also mammals. You got a problem with that one?
We are also vertabrates. The point is what? Humankind have the mechanisms and biological make up as animals do. But we are human, they are animals. We are able to have Faith, animals, plants, minerals cannot. That's how I think. It's really okay for me to think this way.
Yeah, everyone knows humans are vegetables.
<sigh> gotta read thru the thread before posting. gotta read thru the thread before posting. gotta read thru the thread before posting. gotta read thru the thread before posting. gotta read thru the thread before posting...
What makes having faith such an important distinction? Even if it is an advantage for humans, there are other animals that have various advantages over humans.
Sorry, we're a bunch of hairless great apes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.