The Fate of Aborted Fetuses

[kentonio]

Especially when that incredibly complex computer is subject to constant motion, shaking and influence of chemical and organic substances being entered into the system. To be frank it's amazing humans aren't even more unpredictable.

[Kidlicious]

What evidence is there that human actions aren't a product of the chemical reactions happening in their brains? It explains the evidence we observe just as well and requires fewer assumptions.




Humans value self-preservation because natural selection favors organisms that try to survive. No woo is necessary to explain that.

There are humans that feel like committing suicide but choose not to, not because of survival instincts, because they understand that it's good to survive. Animals have no ability to make those types of decisions.

[Kidlicious]

Any extremely complex machine is going to do things that are unpredictable. Computers, even though they're not nearly as complex as the human brain, already do unpredictable things like suddenly crashing. No one can predict precisely when their computer is going to stop working, yet no one literally believes their computer has a will of its own that transcends the laws of physics. The weather is hard to predict, does it have free will? When we flip a coin we can't predict which side it will land on, do coins have free will?

I just believe sentient computers would be much more predictable. You are free to disagree.

[Ban Kenobi]

There are humans that feel like committing suicide but choose not to, not because of survival instincts, because they understand that it's good to survive. Animals have no ability to make those types of decisions.

Animals can't learn how to do Algebra either. There are a lot of things humans do but other animals lack the mental capacity for. Human thoughts are more sophisticated than those of other animals, but that doesn't mean they're not subject to the same laws of physics, chemistry and biology and their actions can't be attributed to these things.

[Ban Kenobi]

I just believe sentient computers would be much more predictable. You are free to disagree.

But you have no apparent reason for believing this other than your belief that free will is a property humans have but machines created by humans can't have. You're making a circular argument.

[Kidlicious]

Animals can't learn how to do Algebra either. There are a lot of things humans do but other animals lack the mental capacity for. Human thoughts are more sophisticated than those of other animals, but that doesn't mean they're not subject to the same laws of physics, chemistry and biology and their actions can't be attributed to these things.

Then why do humans commit suicide? Is that more sophisticated thinking?

[Ban Kenobi]

Then why do humans commit suicide? Is that more sophisticated thinking?

Their desire to escape whatever is oppressing them overrides their natural desire to continue living. Other animals lack the cognitive capacity to consider deliberately destroying themselves as a solution to their troubles.

[kentonio]

There are humans that feel like committing suicide but choose not to, not because of survival instincts, because they understand that it's good to survive. Animals have no ability to make those types of decisions.

How do you know?

Then why do humans commit suicide? Is that more sophisticated thinking?

Why do you think animals dont?

[Kidlicious]

But you have no apparent reason for believing this other than your belief that free will is a property humans have but machines created by humans can't have. You're making a circular argument.

"I just believe" means I'm not making an argument. It's just a bad prediction to say sentient computers will be as unpredictable as humans.

[Ban Kenobi]

"I just believe" means I'm not making an argument. It's just a bad prediction to say sentient computers will be as unpredictable as humans.

Computers already do unpredictable things that their creators don't intend for them to do. I'd say it's reasonable to think they will continue to become more unpredictable as computers become more complex and it becomes harder to take all of the consequences of various design decisions into account. Unpredictability, of course, is a terrible reason to allege something has free will. Our ability to predict the outcome of a coin toss is a lot worse than our ability to predict how other people will react in various circumstances.

[Elok]

On the contrary, if sentient computers are at all like us they will likely be very predictable: they will inevitably go hopelessly psychotic from lack of stimulation. Giving them superhuman intelligence will only accelerate the problem.

[Kidlicious]

Their desire to escape whatever is oppressing them overrides their natural desire to continue living. Other animals lack the cognitive capacity to consider deliberately destroying themselves as a solution to their troubles.

How does that help the human species continue?

[kentonio]

Re animal suicide btw..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_suicide

[Ban Kenobi]

How does that help the human species continue?

It doesn't. It's entirely possible for bad traits to arise from evolution, as a product of various genes that generally do more benefit than harm but do have some harmful side effects like the tiny possibility of comitting suicide. Of course, humans are a lot more likely to cause their own genetic death by other means such as being homosexual than they are to commit suicide.

[Kidlicious]

Computers already do unpredictable things that their creators don't intend for them to do. I'd say it's reasonable to think they will continue to become more unpredictable as computers become more complex and it becomes harder to take all of the consequences of various design decisions into account. Unpredictability, of course, is a terrible reason to allege something has free will. Our ability to predict the outcome of a coin toss is a lot worse than our ability to predict how other people will react in various circumstances.

Point is computers will always do what master tells them to do. As a human I can purposefully disobey and not conform.