uninhabitable eath with robots

[Emperor Harkonnen]

If humanity once make our planet unihabitable for us, and we face the inevitable result of our mistakes, extinction.

should we then perhaps create artificial intelligence(robots) who could still function on the planet, and maintain a civilization after all the humans were gone?

would that be a good idea? what's your views on this?

[Vanguard3000]

Aside from the fact that I don't think it's possible to create an actual artificial "intelligence" that could appreciate it's own existence, what's the point?

[Wolf]

Point. If we're not here to enjoy it, why bother?

[Caid Ivik]

I would say, it's not that civilisation worthy of existence for all costs, I would say only humanity is.

[Dante]

We're not so grand as to deserve to live on in our creations. Frankly when we become extinct (not if) then it's just as well for the rest of the planet, allowing it to heal itself over a few millenia. Though I believe that theoretically it is possible to build a sentient machine, I don't think we should do so for the sole purpose of preserving a pathetically unimportant 'civilisation.'

[Emperor Harkonnen]

I dunno what the point is. so that others can learn about our civilization? we seem to be interested in everything which happened in the past, why shouldn't others?

why do you say our civilization is unimportant?

[Dante]

Because it has barely been around for a few millenia and has spent most of that time in an almost uninterrupted effort to destroy itself. Frankly if that's what others would learn about us I'd rather it remain a mystery.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

why do you think we should be worse than others? our civilization did perhaps have something others did not. why should we not help others?

we have not use all of our time destroying ourselves!

[Edric O]

If a species is idiotic enough to kill itself, then it is most certainly not smart enough to leave an AI behind.

[Dante]

Give me an example of any time during the history of humanity when some faction somewhere was not being hostile towards another.

[Edric O]

If it wouldn't be hostile towards someone then it wouldn't be called a "faction", would it? I don't hear people calling the Red Cross a "faction"...

[Dante]

I do. Because it is a group seperate from others.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

I cannot give you an example of that, since I am unaware of the ture meaning of faction. what you mean by that.

so red cross is a faction? many organizations help, are they too factions?

[EWS]

Has this argument not been done before?

[Sardauker-Kirov]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Faction  :O

Isn't the word faction just another term for organization/group?

[Dante]

Yes, it is. Now can we get on with this? There has never been any time in human history (to my knowledge) that has not somewhere had some humans being nasty to some others. Would you respect a species like that if you were an advanced alien researching us?

[Emperor Harkonnen]

of course! an advanced alien would respect any other sentient lifeform.

what about the red cross? isn't that an example?

[Dante]

The Res Cross exists because of people hurting each other. I didn't ask for an example of a nonviolent faction I asked for an example of a nonviolent time. If there has ever been one.

And I doubt an advanced alien would respect sentient life. Though this debate is pointless, it's pure conjecture. But logically, as a people do we respect sentient life? (The answer's no). Besides, what use is sentience if all your time is used up killing something?

[Edric O]

You ask for an example of total, complete, global peace, Dust Scout? And you're saying that if we can't all hug and get along, that means we must slaughter each other and blow ourselves up?

You missed a lot of shades of grey...

[exatreide]

If a species is idiotic enough to kill itself, then it is most certainly not smart enough to leave an AI behind.

if a speices is idiotic enough to create AI, it has done enough to kill itself.

[Wolf]

How come we immediately assume that sentient extraterrestrial intellignece is benevolent, scientifically curious, and pacifistic? To quote from a sci-fi show I once saw, "You see all those bright points of light? There are billions of stars, with billions upon billions of habitable worlds, with trillions upon trillians of inhibatants. And, at this very moment, half of the inhabitants of all those bright points of light are fanatically dedicated to destroying the other half, and vice versa.". In all honesty, it is probably our intellect, our sentience, that has brought about organized warfare and violence. Animals, who are not sentient, do not wage wars in the same way that human beings wage wars. They may kill for food or territory, but they do not dedicate their existence to the destruction of others for its own sake. We humans, sometimes, indulge in that dark activity. Without out intellect, we would not have been able to craft such fine weapons as we have right now. Without our sentience, our natural intellectuality, we would not have the ability to form the most devastating tactics with them. More importantly, our sentience gives us, as a species, the will and the ability to morally justify the wars that we partake in. Semmingly, it is insane. Honestly, if you ask me, any species that is sentient has, at one time or another, turned to warfare.

However, there is such a thing as balance. A golden mean, perhaps. Even when war did not exist, people still committed violent crimes. Individuals lie, cheat, and steal on a regular basis. Not all people, not even most of them, but enough to make problems occur. What do we do about it? We make laws, we set up systems of punishment, and we work to ensure the safety of the multitude by preventing a violent individual or few from acting. Some humans want to harm others. This is unavoidable. However, that does not mean that we should give up and turn our backs on them. No. Our responsibility, if it is peace, safety, and compassion that we care about, is to work to safeguard the victims of such individuals, and to prevent the individuals from furtther committing their crimes.

[GUNWOUNDS]

How come we immediately assume that sentient extraterrestrial intellignece is benevolent, scientifically curious, and pacifistic?

exactly .... has any not seen

[Dude_Doc]

If we would become instinct tomorrow, and we did have robots and whatnot to succeed us, then it would be better if those machines were made to clean up our mess, what we did to the oceans, the pollution, killing of animals and plants, and so on. Then they could build their own civilization, by probably go to the moon or something.

Off topic: Did anyone understand why the machines in Matrix didn't just go to Mars or the moon? Why did they want to stay? There are lots of solar energy on the moon... if you have the tool that is...

[Dante]

Because like us, they viewed this planet as their home.

If we're going to let AI have the planet then lets at least make sure that they're free to do as they please and not restricted to be glorified bookcases for our histories. Sentience doesn't deserve that.

And shades of grey there may be but they are all, however diluted, forms of hostility.

I didn't say aliens were "benevolent, scientifically curious, and pacifistic." I simply brought up the possibility of one of them researching us. Perhaps for a method to find a cheap fertiliser rather than true scientific curiosity.

Sentience brings hostility? Is that what you're saying Wolfwiz?

If so I agree...

[Emperor Harkonnen]

a normal human being does not want to hurt other human beings! We have a natural thing in our brain which gives us compassion for others.

we do not want to kill others. perhaps we kill in order to achieve an indirectly goal. an example is the fight against terrorism. people are being killed to avoid others from being killed.