9 people responded to the AGI+LE poll question (How much does life
extension motivate your interest in AGI? - full question posted at
bottom of this email). I've taken a few sentences from each reply and
posted below. I've also compiled a listing of % interest in AGI as
motivated by Life Extension. Where the % was not stated explicitly, I
have taken liberty (divined) to come up with a guess. Please feel free
to correct me. Also, feel free to reply to this thread with more /
newer answers, etc.
For me, I was surprised to find how low the % was (28%). However, on
reflection I can understand that I'm fairly obsessed with the idea of
physical immortality as compared to most others ;-)
- Bruce
==Results:
25% Joel Pitt (explicit)
50% Stephen Reed (divined)
00% Bruce LaDuke (explicit)
25% Matt Mahoney (divined)
25% Stathis Papaioannou (divined)
75% Ben Quirk (divined)
25% Mark N. (explicit)
00% Patricia Manney (explicit)
25% Vishaka Datta (divined)
---
28% AVERAGE
==Excerpts from replies to AGI+LE Poll
Joel Pitt said:
So my belief is that the singularity a) enables us to have
longer/indefinite life spans with which to experience more. b) will
allow us to experience so much more than our current human senses allow
us. Of course I also think AGI is an amazing puzzle and will answer
questions (and raise new ones) about self awareness, consciousness and
intelligence. I also believe that humanity is currently heading towards
collapse if some major changes don't happen soon - so if the singularity
can help us survive I'm all for it! :) In summary I'd say life extension
is only 25% of my interest in it.
--
Stephen Reed said:
Since the early 1970's I've had as my life goal participation in
technologies that would lead either to Life Extension or to Artificial
Intelligence, on the theory that if one of these is achieved, the other
will follow in my extended lifetime. My confidence has grown over the
years as others have taken up these goals and some, e.g. Kurtzweil have
explored the connections between them.
--
Bruce LaDuke said:
My Life Extension motivation is 0% of the reason why I'm interested in
AGI+Singularity. I'm interested in AGI+Singularity because I want to
bring the knowledge creation process to AGI researchers. I believe that
singularity is the realization of artificial knowledge creation.
--
Matt Mahoney said:
I don't know if I will live long enough to see the Singularity, but the
more I think about it, the more I believe it is irrelevant. Once AGI
can start improving itself, I think it will quickly advance beyond human
intellect as humans are advanced over bacteria....
I believe the universe is simulated. I don't know why the simulation
exists. Maybe there is an AGI working on some problem whose purpose we
cannot understand. Maybe it is just experimenting with different
universes for fun. Maybe there is no reason at all; the current universe
is just one of an enumeration of all Turing machines.
---
Stathis Papaioannou said:
The important thing as far as survival goes is not that my memories are
preserved or that aspects of my life can be repeated, but that I
continue to have new experiences from here on, which experiences contain
memories of me in their past and identify as being me. That is, if I had
a choice between living for 200 years and living for 100 years repeated
10 times (so that I had no idea which cycle I was in), I would not
hesitate to choose the 200 years. In block universe theories of time,
the past and present are "always there", but this is no comfort at all
if I can't expect future new experiences.
---
Ben Quirk said:
[Now] that I try to sit here and answer your question I find it
extremely difficult to put into words. I keep erasing and rewriting what
I've typed up... I think my interest [is] motivated [by] the fact that
greater-than-human intelligence is our best shot at solving all those
eternal questions such as what is reality, why does something exist
instead of nothing, what is the nature of consciousness... I'm also
extremely [in to] life extension and cognitive enhancement.
--
Mark N. said:
Life extension is about 25% of the reason I am interested in the
Singularity. I do not want to live forever in a world like today's
world. I am quite unhappy with the state of the world and this country,
and it seems like every year I become more cynical. Who knows if this
world as it is today is sustainable? My motivations are creating a
sustainable and enjoyable world that everybody will like, and reducing
the amount of suffering and problems that exist today.
As for what I would get personally out of this? It would be nice to
party again without destroying brain cells :P. But in all seriousness,
I am not too concerned about personally being alive in a
post-singularity world. The concern lies with it actually happening.
---
Patricia (PJ) Manney said:
I'm interested in AGI+Singularity because I acknowledge that it is a
possible, if not probable, direction that the future is headed towards.
I believe society needs to discuss the ramifications as much as possible
or else be caught unawares.
My interest in Life Extension, perhaps oddly to you, has nothing to do
with my interest in AGI. I see them as two different objectives, even
if they end up being related, i.e., AGI solves the 'problem' of life
extention, either through medical means or uploading or whatever. I
think Life Extension could very well happen without AGI and visa versa.
--
Vishaka Datta said:
I am interested in the AGI and singularity because I want to take
mankind closer to playing God.....creating a whole new race of sentient
beings is the best way..
==AGI Motivation / Life Extension? (POLL QUESTION)
In June 2006, I started a topic called "Viability of AGI for Life
Extension & Singularity" which grew to 252 posts. Lively discussion,
including updates on Novamente here:
http://www.imminst.org/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=11&t=11197
Along these lines, I was wondering the general motivation / attitude of
[singularity] list subscribers toward AGI as it relates to Life
Extension. If interested, please answer:
*My **Life Extension **motivation is...*
- 100% of the reason why I'm interested in AGI+Singularity
- somewhere between 0 and 100%
AND / OR
*I'm interested in AGI+Singularity because I... *
- find AGI an interesting puzzle
- want to save the world
- want to ____
--
Bruce Klein - www.novamente.net/bruce_blog
-----
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