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Author Topic: Can computers be made to feel?  (Read 4236 times)
Novus
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #15 on: September 23, 2010, 09:33:36 am »

To live forever is one of the scariest things i can think of - just imagine the boredom after say 300 years...
I've never quite understood this attitude. Assuming you stay in good mental and physical health (which is quite a big assumption), why would living forever be boring? There's plenty to see and do in this world already, and in 300 years one would expect enough societal change to keep things fresh.

Now, living as a helpless brain in a jar forever, that is just creepy.
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #16 on: September 23, 2010, 12:20:09 pm »

To live forever is one of the scariest things i can think of - just imagine the boredom after say 300 years...
I've never quite understood this attitude. Assuming you stay in good mental and physical health (which is quite a big assumption), why would living forever be boring? There's plenty to see and do in this world already, and in 300 years one would expect enough societal change to keep things fresh.

Now, living as a helpless brain in a jar forever, that is just creepy.

This is my attitude. As long as other humans continue to exist, and you can do things, life wouldn't get boring. I'm sure there will be plenty of video games, and you can of course learn new things during your infinite life. Of course, once humans go extinct, unless you have enough knowledge to keep everything going (or the infrastructure is self-sustaining, which would be sweet), life would probably get boring, but if/when that happens, what's stopping you from ending your life?
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Death 999
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #17 on: September 23, 2010, 06:49:12 pm »

However, its only effective immortality for the robotic "clone".

Yeah, but I figure I'm a pattern of thought. If that pattern continues, I'm alive somewhere. See Accelerando or Glasshouse, by Charlie Stross. Lots of characters being multiply instanced, there.
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #18 on: September 23, 2010, 07:52:01 pm »

To live forever is one of the scariest things i can think of - just imagine the boredom after say 300 years...
I've never quite understood this attitude. Assuming you stay in good mental and physical health (which is quite a big assumption), why would living forever be boring? There's plenty to see and do in this world already, and in 300 years one would expect enough societal change to keep things fresh.

Now, living as a helpless brain in a jar forever, that is just creepy.

Forever is a pretty long time. Much longer than 300 years.
The strong possibility of the extinction of the species evenutally would turn me off to living forever. Also, when the universe starts to melt away at 10^50 years or whatever and you're living in a big void, I think you've probably seen enough.
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #19 on: September 23, 2010, 08:22:17 pm »

I think a big thing would be if there are other immortals around. After the third or so time the love of your life, your best friend and everyone you care about including your children die off things would probably get a tad depressing.
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #20 on: September 23, 2010, 09:06:25 pm »

To live forever is one of the scariest things i can think of - just imagine the boredom after say 300 years...
I've never quite understood this attitude. Assuming you stay in good mental and physical health (which is quite a big assumption), why would living forever be boring? There's plenty to see and do in this world already, and in 300 years one would expect enough societal change to keep things fresh.

Now, living as a helpless brain in a jar forever, that is just creepy.

Forever is a pretty long time. Much longer than 300 years.
The strong possibility of the extinction of the species evenutally would turn me off to living forever. Also, when the universe starts to melt away at 10^50 years or whatever and you're living in a big void, I think you've probably seen enough.

It wouldn't be possible to be made unkillable. Effectively, you would be killed when your body can no longer function (consume energy), just like any biological body. Like I said, when it becomes pointless to live anymore, you can kill yourself. What's stopping you?
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Valos Cor
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #21 on: September 23, 2010, 10:18:35 pm »

Forever is a pretty long time. Much longer than 300 years.
The strong possibility of the extinction of the species evenutally would turn me off to living forever. Also, when the universe starts to melt away at 10^50 years or whatever and you're living in a big void, I think you've probably seen enough.
I don't understand.  Why does it melt in 10^50 years? 

I think life will stay pretty interesting even after several hundred years.  I DO hope my future spouse will be able to live forever as well.  Well, if the species die...what's to stop you from operating the factories (or make your own) that humans used to operate and - in the course of several years, build your own starship, supply it, and go exploring for another species?  Go from planet to planet, returning of course to check up on your factories or resupply, until you find a sentient species.

Also, its not like a species lives only for a short period.  It may take humanity a few million years, but imagine the species you'd find (like Star Control *hint* *hint*).  There's a good chance they'd take a while to die off, and a few million years probably takes a while to burn off.  In a helpless jar (or life support system) with only the brain... yeah, that WOULD be creepy... no eyes, no ears, no nose, nothing, nothing to do but think. I think the brain would just mentally die or go crazy.






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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #22 on: September 23, 2010, 10:50:38 pm »

Forever is a pretty long time. Much longer than 300 years.
The strong possibility of the extinction of the species evenutally would turn me off to living forever. Also, when the universe starts to melt away at 10^50 years or whatever and you're living in a big void, I think you've probably seen enough.
I don't understand.  Why does it melt in 10^50 years? 
Some annoying rules in the laws of physics.

A few hundred thousand years would nice but forever? I hope not. Unless you prove their is no beyond...
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #23 on: September 23, 2010, 11:01:06 pm »

If there was no beyond, then definitely forever. Definitely.
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #24 on: September 23, 2010, 11:05:06 pm »

The problem is, it wouldn't be possible to live "forever", because as soon as you find yourself unable to find an energy source, you would die. It's not that complicated of a concept. "Forever" really just means "as long as I want", or maybe "as long as humans exist".
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #25 on: September 23, 2010, 11:09:04 pm »

I agree.  If I were to be immortal, I hope I suddenly find myself to be the copy, and not the original.  To see a robot with your consiousness - and essentially, is you - and die anyway isn't immortality.  

Actually, I think it would be cool for my personality to live on forever, even if I didn't myself become the copy. Imagine knowing that your great-great-great-great grandchildren will have a chance to talk to you and get to know you. Grin Not to mention, you living forever means your projects live forever.

One word: Mycon!

Also, this topic has mutated horribly. I am splitting this thread once again.
http://forum.uqm.stack.nl/index.php?topic=4859.0
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #26 on: September 24, 2010, 12:18:49 am »

not like the 7 people on this board care
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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #27 on: September 24, 2010, 03:23:44 am »

To live forever is one of the scariest things i can think of - just imagine the boredom after say 300 years...
I've never quite understood this attitude. Assuming you stay in good mental and physical health (which is quite a big assumption), why would living forever be boring? There's plenty to see and do in this world already, and in 300 years one would expect enough societal change to keep things fresh.

Now, living as a helpless brain in a jar forever, that is just creepy.

Forever is a pretty long time. Much longer than 300 years.
The strong possibility of the extinction of the species evenutally would turn me off to living forever. Also, when the universe starts to melt away at 10^50 years or whatever and you're living in a big void, I think you've probably seen enough.

It wouldn't be possible to be made unkillable. Effectively, you would be killed when your body can no longer function (consume energy), just like any biological body. Like I said, when it becomes pointless to live anymore, you can kill yourself. What's stopping you?

You may have said that, but I was responding to Novus who asked why living forever would be boring. If you really live forever, then that means you can't die. You can't have both.

Living as long as you want on the other hand would be great.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2010, 03:25:35 am by SweetSassyMolassy » Logged

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Re: Can computers be made to feel?
« Reply #28 on: September 24, 2010, 07:52:36 am »

Living as long as you want on the other hand would be great.
I agree, although I admittedly didn't express myself clearly. I also agree that it may be theoretically impossible for physical reasons to continue to live forever in any sense due to lack of energy to do anything (e.g. think) with; if thermodynamics work the way we expect the universe will slow down to a halt if it doesn't implode or something before that.

On a more practical timescale, though (something that plausibly could happen in our lifetimes), even with "old age" and most diseases eliminated, accidental death would probably get you after a few thousand years (guesstimated from about 6% of deaths being accidental). That said, improved medical care would probably also render more injuries survivable.
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