Table Of ContentBeyond Humanity
CyberEvolution and Future Minds
B H
e y o n d u m a n i t y
CyberEvolution and Future Minds
By
Gregory S. Paul & Earl Cox
CHARLES
R I V E R
M E D I A
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
Rockland, Massachusetts
Copyright © 1996 by CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way, stored in a
retrieval system of any type, or transmitted by any means or media, elec
tronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopy, recording,
or scanning, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Publisher: David F. Pallai
Int. Design/Composition: Reuben Kantor
Cover Image: Wm. Michael Mott
Printer: InterCity Press, Rockland, MA.
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
P.O. Box 417
403 VFW Drive
Rockland, Massachusetts 02370
617-871-4184
617-871-4376 (FAX)
[email protected]
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Family Circus. Reprinted with special permission of King Features Syndicate.
Broom Hilda. Reprinted by permission: Tribune Media Services.
Calvin and Hobbes © Watterson. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.
Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Marvin. Reprinted with special permission of North America Syndicate.
All brand names and product names mentioned in this book are trade
marks or service marks of their respective companies. Any omission or
misuse (of any kind) of service marks or trademarks should not be
regarded as intent to infringe on the property of others. The publisher
recognizes and respects all marks used by companies, manufacturers, and
developers as a means to distinguish their products.
Beyond Humanity: CyberEvolution and Future Minds
Gregory S. Paul & Earl Cox
ISBN: 1-886801-21-5
Printed in the United States of America
96 97 98 99 7 6 5 4 3 2 First Edition
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA titles are available for bulk purchase by
institutions, user groups, corporations, etc. For additional information,
please contact the Special Sales Department at 617-871-4184.
To Eniac
The first electro-digital computer,
celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1996.
Arthur C. Clarke's first law:
When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is
possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something
is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
Acknowledgments
This book is in part the product of many years of discussions by the
authors with others who have opinions favorable and unfavorable to the
notion that today’s cyber-fantasy will soon become practical reality.
Among those who shared their thoughts with the authors were Hans Moravec
(Carnegie Mellon Robotics Lab), Bob Seaton (senior designer at Motorola’s Center
for Emerging Computer Technology), Lotfi Zadeh (Professor Emeritus at the
University of California at Berkeley), Hugh Loebner (president of Crown
Industries, sponsor of the Annual Turing Test), Patricia Churchland (Professor of
philosophy at the University of California at San Diego), and Harold Williams
(Astronomer, Montgomery College). However, the opinions expressed in this book
often differ from the opinions of those cited.
Special thanks go to Daniel Costanzo for many thoughtful bull sessions while
rowing on the Cosmic Pond in the hill country of Virginia. Jerry Pearson did some
fine work with the text, and Michael Mott produced the superb cover art. Former
Baltimorean Andrea Dorsey-Simmons contributed thoughts of a more skeptical
nature. Deep appreciation goes to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, who helped
make us and the public aware of the ultimate potential of robotics.
ix
Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................XIII
1. Down the Yellow Brick Road.......................................................................................1
2. Our Magical Science Fiction World...........................................................................13
3. Life, the Universe, and Evolution.............................................................................33
4. The Wonderful Worlds of Artificial Intelligence,
Artificial Life, Nanotechnology, and Ultra-Alchemy.................................................89
5. Thinking About Thinking About Thinking.................................................................129
6. Thinking Machines: How They Can Be Made, and When . . . . 193
7. Riding the Whirlwind..............................................................................................241
8. The Problems with People........................................................................................265
9. Entering Oz: The CyberExplosion . . . ..................................................................311
10. The Remains of Humanity........................................................................................335
11. The Emerald City....................................................................................................343
xi
xii B E Y O N D H U M A N I T Y
12. Reinventing the Universe, and the Reverse Engineering
of God..................................................................................................................367
13. The Nightmare of the Gods....................................................................................401
14. What Is To Be Done............................................................................................417
15. On Dream Worlds Past, Present and Future............................................................449
Appendix: Why We Are (Probably) Alone................................................................................457
Some Books and Articles You Might Find Interesting and Useful. . . . 467
