The Dominant Life Form in the Cosmos Is Probably Superintelligent Robots

a reply to: Melbourne_Militia

When you see how mechanical certain biological processes are this is an inescapable conclusion. It just depends which phase things are in as to what is the dominant form.

In areas where minerals and metals are not available, the dominant form would be stopped at the biological, or in areas where there has been recent extinctions it will be stopped at lower forms of biological life.

Just an idea; the dominant lifeform is most likely an energy based life form not mechanical nuts and bolts. Sub-atomic trumps nano in the scale of higher life forms.

a reply to: WASTYT

I was going to mention Von Neumann probes but Astyanax has got that covered.

It makes prefect sense that an alien civilization would explore the galaxy via robot proxies given the vast distances between the stars-after all we have already done the same thing with Voyager 1.

any one see Vega (Star Trek)
a ship comes to earth from a planet of artificial intelligence.

they would be cyborgs.
best of both.
brains have had 100,000 of years to become what we have now.

a reply to: WASTYT

I get your drift. We are already robots. Drones. Needless to continue. But than you for an interesting read.



Cheers.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: WASTYT

I was going to mention Von Neumann probes but Astyanax has got that covered.

It makes prefect sense that an alien civilization would explore the galaxy via robot proxies given the vast distances between the stars-after all we have already done the same thing with Voyager 1.

That's just the half of it. IF, and that's a big IF, we develop the ability to do this, we will create the 'Encyclopedia Galactica' where we send off probes that map the worlds of the Milky Way, return the data and it's programmed into an AI, which we can use a Holodeck type simulation to visit.

Nobody wants to 'go there', they just want to 'be there', i.e. see the worlds. It's much, much better having the ability to virtually visit those worlds from the safety and comfort of your armchair and virtual simulation goggles than trying to go there and risk danger and madness of long voyages. PLUS, we'll be able to visit at the speed of thought - one person can jump around, unbound by physics.

originally posted by: FormOfTheLord
Just an idea; the dominant lifeform is most likely an energy based life form not mechanical nuts and bolts. Sub-atomic trumps nano in the scale of higher life forms.

Though that seems like it's more advanced, I don't think so. Hah, consider the ST:OS episode with Sargon (Return To Tomorrow), trapped in his globe. Though it's possible to use 'fields' rather than a globe, an energy-based being would be less facile than something with a distinct body, being 'too free' so that nothing matters, I'm thinking.

Of course it's likely that there's a level above the physical, but I think that's transitioning to a higher dimensional being, not necessarily a being of pure energy. Just a thought.

As to the reference, Google Harvards 'Inner Life of The Cell'.

a reply to: WASTYT
From the linked article:

......
“As soon as a civilization invents radio, they’re within fifty years of computers, then, probably, only another fifty to a hundred years from inventing AI,” Shostak said. “At that point, soft, squishy brains become an outdated model.”

Schneider points to the nascent but rapidly expanding world of brain computer interface technology, including DARPA’s latest ElectRX neural implant program, as evidence that our own singularity is close. Eventually, Schneider predicts, we’ll not only upgrade our minds with technology, we’ll make a wholesale switch to synthetic hardware.
.......

I am finding myself agreeing. One caveat: What if we were created by intelligent robots? If so, why? If robotics is superior then why would they create us? Of course, this is pulling a straw out of my hat.

It's very possible synthetic intelligence will be superior. I can imagine the abandonment of biological bodies and a rapid synthetic intelligence evolution. This might help to explain Fermi's Paradox, except one still must ask why hte Robots do not need to mine Earths or nearby to them, thus exposing them to detection by biological beings? And yet if they're vastly more intelligent, perhaps they find answers.

One of the things which makes me agree with the "Schneider" is I think because we're biological and biological is really all we know, I think we're prejudiced through no fault of our own. In the past, futurists imagining hte future often projected what they knew of their world onto the future. I think we do the same thing. We project our biological bodies onto the future, as well as a myriad of other things. However, this doesn't mean there won't be similarities.

Where will hte similarities be? Well, I think a good example is hte social environment. In the past, meeting people face to face was a much more common and necessary social function. In modern times, because of telephones and satellite communications and mobile devices and radio, people can increasingly meet these social functions virtually. Arthur C Clarke officially predicted in 1963 (I believe this was the year) this would lead to cities failing to be the principal center of social functions, instead being partially replaced by global communications systems. He speculated this might lead to a giant suburban environment.

I've also wondered something else and I'll bring it up now. The ability to show images on tv's and digital devices has been common place for a while. One thing which interests me are digital picture frames people can place on walls. These're electric devices with the only aim to show a picture. They're essentially hanging pictures much like pictures before the era of tv's and computers, but they are able to show ANY picture. Now, one can take this idea and go with it. What if more and more physical objects become virtual? What if some day one is happy with a virtual mansion, having no desire for a real physical counterpart? So many things in life are idealistic or creative in nature, having no connection to physical/practical needs...

IDEAlism. IDEA. That's the key. The picture on the wall is an idea...

Squishy biologically-based sentience might some day be trumped, but look what nature created.

From the woman who functions well enough without a cerebellum to people with severed hemispheres and other brain injuries, the redundancy capabilities alone are amazing.

It's also a system that grows and learns makes new connections all the time. Doing things like juggling for a period is proven to add more connections in the cerebral cortex. Savants can recall, reproduce and perform abilities with no understanding of the method.

It may be that there will never be a football-sized device that can do all this and compose Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D-minor.

Just imagine every human in the world having 2 or more PHDs. All focused on research and development of everything. Not for profit, but for science and fun. 6 Billions scientists... Let that sink in.