Gregory Thomas <G_Thomas@compuserve.com> wrote:
> Are computers conscious in some way? What would it take to
> make a computer conscious in some way?
Just thought I'd pass on a recommendation for my current reading material
-- _Out Of Control: the rise of neo-biological civilization_, by Kevin
Kelly. The first part of the book is an attempt to answer that very
question. Kelly asks "who will not feel a little holy awe on the day when
machines first talk back to us?"
His thesis is basically evolutionary in gist -- AI will rise out of a
network; a "hive mind", if you will. His contention is that "complexity
must be grown from simple systems that already work."[1] The point he
hammers home is that *we're playing god* -- and like god, our finest
creations will ultimately evade our control; thus the name of the book.
It is a very extropian book, nevertheless.
ERiC
[1] A virian principle?