Why Write?

I often ask myself why I bother to write. It takes up ridiculous amounts of spare time that I should probably use for exercise or learning better social behavior. Right now, it’s taking up my lunch break. Generally speaking, my tiny audience is limited to friends and family—and a few others who are mostly friends of friends and family. Many of them are better writers than I. Others, I suspect, are supportive more out of politeness than genuine interest.

I have several answers to that question. I recently added another to the list as I listened to a book by Nick Bostrom. His book “Superintelligence” explores the considerations associated with developing intelligence greater than humans. Horrifically boring to many, but I found it fascinating.

Yes, I recognize how geeky that is, and yes, I’m okay with it. I do have to be careful, though. My kids sometimes make fun of me for using phrases like “structural integrity” in front of their friends or at church.

Among the more difficult problems related to the development of a superintelligence is the code of ethics that will rule its decision-making processes. One of the possible approaches is a sort of ethics map. The map initially begins with an arrangement many beliefs. The map is most effective if many beliefs are included—no matter how obscure, odd, or offensive. Over time—as opinions are compared and objective evidence is considered—weight is added to certain beliefs and removed from others.

This concept reminded me of an exercise in a satellite controls class—yes, it was a very long time ago. We compared the theoretical accuracy of different satellite attitude determination systems. It turned out that adding more sensors improved the overall accuracy, even if the individual sensor wasn’t remarkably accurate. We also found that moderate dissenting inputs—the one sensor that doesn’t exactly agree with the rest—is statistically likely to be a needed correction.
​
In a way, the entire human race is a form of superintelligence attempting to develop its understanding of ethics. All opinions—including mine—are an essential part of that matrix.

Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash

---