RE: An essay I just wrote on the Singularity.

From: Ben Goertzel (ben@goertzel.org)
Date: Sun Jan 04 2004 - 11:27:57 MST


> I found an objective morality. I have proposed it many times.
>
> If it didn't feel like anything to be inside a gas chamber, it wouldn't be
> immoral to gas people. If greeting somebody caused excruciating
> psychological pain, then saying hello would be immoral.
>
> so:
>
> What creates negative qualia in sentient beings is evil.
> What creates positive qualia in sentient beings is good.
>
> Let alone whether we should convert the whole universe into
> orgasmium (which
> may sound repulsive to some... that's _before_ trying it of
> course) - if one
> agrees to the above it seems fair and conservative to tell an AI
> to minimize
> evil defined as negative qualia.

But, what if I propose that morality is tied instead to a weighted average

c * (positive qualia -negative qualia) + (1-c)* (total complexity of
pattern)

for some 0<c<1

The point about subjectivity of morality is: Based on what universally
accepted
premises can we argue about the correct value of c?

The answer seems to be: based on none...

In morality, as in mathematics, science, love and anything else, you need to
assume *something*. There is no true objectivity...

-- Ben G



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