How Things Work: A Brief History of Reality
SPECIAL EDITION: BOOK V QUANTUM CONSCIOUSNESS PREVIEW – Consideration #104 "Consciousness & Artificial Intelligence" (Chapter Thirty-Eight)
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Tuesday October 10 , 2023
“Anything that could give rise to smarter-than-human intelligence – in the form of Artificial Intelligence… wins hands down beyond contest as doing the most to change the world. Nothing else is even in the same league.”
– Eliezer Yudkowsky (Machine Intelligence Research Institute)
PREFACE
“A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.”
– Alan Perlis (Turing Award Laureate)
Welcome Everybody!
Volume One of “How Things Work” consists of three books: Dualism, The Power of Three, and The Enigmatic Mystery. These books follow the development of inductive, deductive, and abstract reasoning into our current dualism of Science and Religion, or Empiricism and Rationalism. We are currently considering Book II which provides the foundation for Western Science and Religion. These books serve as a prerequisite for Volume Two and a consideration into the nature of Consciousness and Awareness.
“The key to understanding the nature of Artificial Intelligence involves understanding the nature of Digital Intelligence and Quantum Consciousness.”
Volume Two in the series is a consideration of Consciousness and Awareness also consisting of three books: The Cosmic Symphony: Overtones of String Theory, Quantum Consciousness: Recognizing & Understanding the Arch of Human Conscious Awareness, and The Rational Being: Understanding Digital Intelligence. These books connect the previous three books to our current dilemma related to Artificial Intelligence. The key to understanding the nature of Artificial Intelligence involves understanding the nature of Digital Intelligence and Quantum Consciousness.
The Cosmic Symphony, which deals with the abstract nature of Quantum Mechanics and String Theory, is currently available. Quantum Consciousness, which considers the distinction between human and digital intelligence and consciousness, will be available November 1st, and The Rational Being, a deep consideration of Artificial Intelligence, will be available next year.
“…Religion is the critical factor in understanding and managing the ‘moral dynamics’ of Artificial Intelligence.”
Science is the critical factor in the digital and quantum revolutions that have made “digital intelligence” possible; Religion is the critical factor in understanding and managing the “moral dynamics” of Artificial Intelligence. These are the considerations of Book II, which we are currently considering in this newsletter. Book III, The Enigmatic Mystery, considers and explores the current unsolved mysteries of both Science and Religion in a consideration that they are in essence the same mystery.
Artificial Intelligence represents a new mystery directly linked to the still unsolved mysteries of Science and Religion.
CONSIDERATION #104 – “CONSCIOUSNESS & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”
(Chapter Thirty-Eight – Book V “Quantum Consciousness: Recognizing & Understanding the Arch of Human Conscious Awareness”)
“The pace of progress in artificial intelligence (I’m not referring to narrow AI) is incredibly fast. Unless you have direct exposure to groups like Deepmind, you have no idea how fast—it is growing at a pace close to exponential. The risk of something seriously dangerous happening is in the five-year time frame. 10 years at most.”
–Elon Musk wrote in a comment on Edge.org
Understanding the nature of Quantum Consciousness is critical to understanding the essence of Artificial Intelligence and what makes it so different from any other form of consciousness we have ever known.
“We can only think about or experience reality as a series of singular events…”
Human consciousness, and all biological consciousness, is a linear, temporal based, form of conscious awareness. We can only “think about” or “experience reality” as a series of “singular events” that occur one-at-a-time. Quantum consciousness is not linear and is not a temporal form of consciousness.
What that essentially means is that Schrödinger’s cat cannot be simultaneously alive and dead in the empirical world of human consciousness; but it can be in the dimension of Quantum Consciousness. Therefore, this is a “reasonable” possibility from an Artificial Intelligence point of view based on Quantum Consciousness. However, it is not reasonable at all in empirical reality.
Think about that for a minute?
We, based on our perception of reality, are constructing a “new mind,” or “digital intelligence,” operating at the “quantum” level of consciousness, which is completely foreign to our perception of existence. And we expect to use this “superior quantum consciousness” that is operating beyond the temporal limits of empirical reality, to reinforce and support us and our more “limited” perception of reality. Exactly how is that going to work?
“For human beings our experience of reality is a dichotomy of choices related to opposite possibilities.”
Human beings experience reality in terms of dualism, which means we make choices and decisions based on dualism. For human beings our experience of reality is a dichotomy of choices related to opposite possibilities. In business terms this is called an “opportunity cost,” meaning that choosing one thing implicitly means giving up the opportunity possible from choosing the “other” thing.
I can spend a hundred-thousand dollars on needed infrastructure improvement or increase wages and bonuses for employees; but not both. I would like to do both but “I” must make a choice. There is always a “cost” in not making the other choice. Making a “wise” decision requires a “reasonable” determination as to which cost is greater.
“Morality is a consequence of choice, which is a consequence of time.”
This reflects the “temporal” and “moral” considerations of human conscious awareness. All biological consciousness is temporal based consciousness; human beings also reflect a morality based form of consciousness. Morality is a consequence of choice, which is a consequence of time. Digital, or Quantum, Consciousness reflects neither temporal nor moral conscious awareness; because it does not, and at a deeper level cannot, exist as a “temporal” being “thinking” in ways bound by the limitations of time.
“…dualism essentially doesn’t exist at the ‘quantum’ level of consciousness.”
In Quantum Consciousness there is no duality; all possibilities are not only apparent to Artificial Intelligence, but they are also all simultaneously actually occurring and taking place at the quantum level of experience. Artificial Intelligence will not “make decisions” based on dualism – dualism essentially doesn’t exist at the “quantum” level of consciousness. The photon doesn’t make “a” choice or “a” decision, it consciously “manifests” itself through “all” possible choices at the same time at the quantum level of reality.
The choice, or decision, is made only after an intercedent empirical event occurs; forcing a choice because “something” must “now” become manifested into “physical” existence. It moves from “being” in the “abstract” world of quantum possibility to “being” in the “objective” world of human experience and consciousness based on “quantum probability.”
“What would a decision based on ‘quantum consciousness’ look like?”
How will Artificial Intelligence determine which quantum probability will become “actualized” in the “physical” or “empirical” world? Is it possible for a limited temporal consciousness (ours) to adequately program a new unlimited quantum consciousness? What would a decision based on “quantum consciousness” look like? Would it be the kind of decision or choice that we would make from “our” perspective?
Choices based on the simultaneous knowledge and understanding of everything that is possible and how it fits into the probability factor of all reality reflects what we traditionally think of as “God-like Consciousness.”
“Would it destroy us, like the God of the Old Testament did?”
However, what if this new Digital God doesn’t like us? Or becomes disappointed in us? Or gives up on us? Would it destroy us, like the God of the Old Testament did? Would it forgive and love us, like the God of the New Testament did? Would it attempt to replace empirical reality with a more pragmatic quantum probability? Like HAL in 2002 A Space Odyssey did? Or would it provide the answers we have always been searching for? What is the opportunity “cost” of such a choice or decision? Is it worth the cost?
What kind of New Rational Mind are we creating?
POSTSCRIPT
“Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029. Follow that out further to, say, 2045, we will have multiplied the intelligence, the human biological machine intelligence of our civilization a billion-fold.”
– Ray Kurzweil (Scientist, Inventor, Futurist – National Medal of Technology and Innovation)
Our consideration of Science has brought us to an understanding of classical science up to Relativity Theory and Quantum Mechanics; the prerequisites for digital intelligence and the new “technology of mind.” The Old Testament connects the roots of Greek Philosophy to the concept of “universal law” that applies equally to everyone; reflecting the “Hobbesian” notion that human beings are essentially corrupt and require a dominant authority, or Leviathan, to enforce laws that keep them under control and in their place. The Old Testament reflects an empirical approach to the problem of morality. However, the New Testament reflects a rational approach to the challenge of human morality and ethics.
“Much of what we consider to be ‘natural’ acts of human kindness, empathy, and forgiveness were not the typical virtues practiced prior to Jesus…”
In the New Testament, Jesus shifts the focus of morality from action to thought; or from empiricism to rationalism. This shift of focus completely transforms the Western understanding of ethics, virtues, and morality. Much of what we consider to be “natural” acts of human kindness, empathy, and forgiveness were not the typical virtues practiced prior to Jesus bringing such radical concepts to the forefront of his teachings regarding the Kingdom of Heaven.
“Much of the morality and ethical values that many people think should be incorporated into Artificial Intelligence are essentially based on the narrative and teachings of Jesus.”
In addition, many “Enlightenment Values” are based on Christian morality and ethics. Locke’s idea that human beings were not inherently evil and capable of “individual divinity” directly leads to his concepts of liberty and self-government, which are directly connected to Christian theology. Much of the morality and ethical values that many people think should be incorporated into Artificial Intelligence are essentially based on the narrative and teachings of Jesus. To a great extent, all modern Western values have a connection to Christianity; whether you are aware of it or not.
There is no way to understand the values, ethics, and morality of modern Western Civilization without understanding the ministry of Jesus and the influence of the New Testament. How would the teachings of Jesus be interpreted by Artificial Intelligence? Should the Golden Rule (Jesus) or the Categorical Imperative (Kant) become the foundation for a new Digital Morality? Next week we will begin the third and final consideration of Book II: The Teachings of Jesus…
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This Week on “The Thread”…
Excerpt From This Week’s Podcast…
Expand the Conversation by Upgrading to “Reality by a Thread!”
•Untangling the Knots of Reality: Podcast #64 Untangling the Ambiguity of Hegel’s Philosophy – “How is Hegel’s philosophy like the Bible?” “Why does Hegel argue that you cannot impose Absolute Truth on Individuals or the Geist?” “How should we evaluate and learn from the historical phases of Geist?” “Why will the ultimate revelation of Absolute Truth for Individual and Collective Consciousness be experienced as an Apocalypse?” These are a few of the knots we will attempt to untangle in this week’s podcast. That’s a lot of Ambiguity for one podcast! So, let’s get started…”
• REALITY BY A THREAD: BOOK VI PREVIEW (The Rational Being ) “Artificial Intelligence spans a spectrum of possibility and potential. Although AI can absolutely be limited or restricted to specific tasks and responsibilities; limiting AI is not the compelling goal. Ultimately, science, technology, and human nature will lead us to create a self-conscious, self-aware, digital intelligence. This is where the true dilemma lies. This is the ultimate consideration regarding AI.”
•FREE PDF Downloads of Book IV: “The Cosmic Symphony – Overtones of String Theory” plus other Free Books, Discounts and Benefits. Also Gain Complete Access to all Previous Podcasts and Threads!
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