10th April 2009, 6:04 AM
Quote:What a super intelligent machine would do for us is allow us to compare large amounts of data much more quickly than normal, but in terms of learning new things about the universe, it at best points us to new ideas for experiments, and experiments are going to take as long as they have to take given whatever's being tested for.
Well yes and no. No matter the connections, if something isn't known it will remain unknown, until it is known. The principal in theory would be that all the answers are already here but it (the data) hasn't been combined yet in to a cohesive package. Ultimately, there is a handful of people working on AIDS research. Those people once connected, could drastically cut down their research time because everything *already* known would be in their heads as instinctive thought. Just as you know the parts of a cell by looking at a photo of a cell without seeing the parts because you studied it prior. That knowledge becomes inherent. So, perhaps by combining all known facets of recorded anything, answers might suddenly become highlighted with a cartoon-like slap to the forehead followed by an "OF COURSE!"
Quote:Moral? I'm sick of people going on about how something isn't "natural" and then claiming that that makes it immoral. Who cares how natural or unnatural something is labelled to be? Further, if someone wants to modify their body or join a collective willingly, more power to them. It's not my business to stop them. New technology always eliminates jobs, I wouldn't call that immoral, especially if it ever did just replace ALL manual labor except that which some people just flat enjoy doing. The only moral issues would be if someone was forcing someone else to upgrade. And no, "force" doesn't mean that you can't "keep up" with people. You might as well say society forced you to get a car or a cell phone and that's immoral.
It's here to stay. We put programs on our pc's to make sure people we deem 'Too fragile' in our homes cannot access ...whatever we deem that could 'harm' them. Hardcore porn for little Johnny and Suzy? Maybe not a good idea. But blocking them from reading about sex and passion? We'll buy Suzy a doll so her instinct to mother and explore her feelings of child rearing can be nurtured and developed but she cant read about her own freakin vag?
Not to mention on this world wide mind you could theoretically have access to memories and emotions. So if it had an interface similar to windows imagine clicking on 'orgasms' and feeling a female orgasm (even though you're a man... right?). This will revolutionize mankind's understanding. Now imagine little Suzy gets on there, gets curious, and now knows what its like to be in a 7-man gangbang all-female bukkake tag-team reverse anal Polish pie live-hentai forced-fictional-beastiality-breakfast mascot porn and cries because it was scary. "My child's innocence is ruined! - its the same as if she were raped!" blahby blah. Of course this brings up the whole issue of sexual intercourse without the use of genitals or physical stimulation. E-Rape? I think so. But yeah, definitely a beautifully woven tapestry of shit for all the moralfags to bite in to.