In a post (submitted by Moorad Alexanian)
The Observer claims:
> Stephen Hawking, the acclaimed scientist and writer, reignited the debate
> over
> genetic engineering yesterday by recommending that humans change their DNA
> through genetic modification to keep ahead of advances in computer
> technology
> and stop intelligent machines from 'taking over the world'.
>
It must have been a very bad day for a brilliant mind
like Hawking to fall into such a depression.
First, whereas we are becoming increasingly dependent
on the machines, I don't think we understand enough
about what being human is about to say much about
what a machine is really capable of.
Second, it is not clear from the article if Hawking
was referring to conventional Turing computers or
quantum computers. My guess is that he is intelligent
enough to realize that the wet chemistry of the
brain is quite different from a feebly reminiscent
bit based conception found in neural network. The
signal transmission properties and physical states
of the brain appear far more interesting and
sophisticated.
However, a quantum computer _might_ rival
human intelligence when (or if) such a system were
eventually constructed. Whereas I am not convinced
that Penrose is right about the human brain functioning
as a quantum computer, his idea of achieving "understanding"
via quantum mechanic seems at least reasonable (although
speculative).
Ironically, although we humans can claim that
there is no God, such a truly thinking machine
would probably have to admit a "creator". Is it
possible for a such a proposed machine to believe
in God?
Then again, it could also go this way:
http://www.calvin.edu/archive/asa/200009/0157.html
by Grace we proceed,
Wayne
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Sep 03 2001 - 06:46:10 EDT