I wrote a little while ago about the most interesting things to talk about are the ones people are often most uncomfortable discussing. They also tend to lie on the boundaries of acceptability — where it’s OK to do one thing in one culture, but not in another. I warn you in advance, this little essay is at once long-winded, poorly focussed, and probably really “out there” to most normal people.
I remember in Glendale California, as an idealistic young Mormon Missionary, I met an Armenian family — one of many in the Glendale area. Unfortunately, I can’t remember their names… the only name I remember well is that of Armik Shahmirian, who sacrificed a lamb in our honor the day before we baptized him.
I wrote a little while ago about the most interesting things to talk about are the ones people are often most uncomfortable discussing. They also tend to lie on the boundaries of acceptability — where it’s OK to do one thing in one culture, but not in another. I warn you in advance, this little essay is at once long-winded, poorly focussed, and probably really “out there” to most normal people.
I remember in Glendale California, as an idealistic young Mormon Missionary, I met an Armenian family — one of many in the Glendale area. Unfortunately, I can’t remember their names… the only name I remember well is that of Armik Shahmirian, who sacrificed a lamb in our honor the day before we baptized him.
Anyway, this family had a very unique saying. In English, it reads something to the effect that “Culture is just an excuse for the way you are”.
For instance, take that tradition of sacrificing a lamb in honor of someone. No, I’m not making this up — according to Armik, it’s an Eastern Armenian tradition when you are about to celebrate something important. Yet, what is the difference between saying a prayer over a lamb before slicing its throat yourself, and going to the supermarket to purchase a lamb? What’s the difference between putting a bullet between the eyes of your old milk cow, or purchasing a rack of beef ribs at the supermarket?
Do we value life less or more, because we purchase it pre-packaged in the supermarket?
This question is of some pretty vital importance to me lately. I recently switched from a nearly-vegetarian diet (I was Vegan for a year, then ovo-lacto-fish-fowl for two — which isn’t vegetarian at all, but I digress) over to a heavily fat-and-protein based Atkins diet. Really, it’s not strictly Atkins, because I think calories do matter, so I watch calories, watch carbs, and watch my protein balance so I don’t end up with ammonia breath. But now I’m contributing so much more to the dead animal contingent of the planet.
It seems obvious to me we evolved as omnivores. We have many traits in common with other hunter-gatherers. Unfortunately, in the animal world, the only really close approximation we have in a mammal that eats a diet similar to humans seems to be the bear. Eating carbs, like berries, tends to pack on the fat. Eating meats, like that nice rotting carcass over in the corner of the cave, tend to give more protein and muscle mass. Easy comparison.
But when I go to the store on three subsequent weeks, I can be almost certain that I’m eating meat from three different animals or more. As humans, we raise these animals for meat. Pigs, for instance, have become so stupid and lazy that people are paid full-time to “plug in” male pigs into female pigs because otherwise the pigs just aren’t interested in reproducing. And yet, these are normally intelligent animals.
Are they self-aware?
I think they are. I think animals have feelings, though quite different from humans, that are every bit as real as our own. I think they are aware of themselves, just as we are of ourselves. They just aren’t as smart as we are (at least, as far as we can tell). I discard the notion of a “spirit” pretty much entirely — and I realized the other day why.
I want to build something smarter than me.
I want to program an intelligence that can think faster, longer, and harder than I possibly can. And remember more. And make better judgements. And come to better decisions, not just in my own personal space, but for humanity as a whole.
We do it in every other endeavor of life. We build planes so that we can fly, when a person flies quite poorly on arms alone. We build roads and cars to transport us at amazing speeds on land. We build computers to do math better than we do, and to beat us at chess.
We can build machines to work harder than we do. To run faster. To jump farther.
Why not to think better?
This is my dream: to have an intelligent assistant small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. That this assistant can think better and faster than I do. That I can hear what it’s thinking, or better yet, to have the results directly wired into my brain. To have a secondary memory to augment my own, either through some sort of glasses-type interface, or directly interfacing with my neurons.
And most importantly, to have a non-human to talk to.
I think we’ve done amazing work with machines in so many other pursuits of life, it’s simply a matter of time before we can create autonomous life forms that think better than we do. I really don’t think we’re going to encounter “aliens” in my lifetime… interstellar distances are just too great, and wormholes, hyperspace, superlight speed, or other theories aren’t anywhere near a reality able to overcome that ocean of emptiness.
But, I think, we can find those aliens. We must build them ourselves. And most of us won’t ever even notice they are a part of our lives until the moment of recognition has passed us by.