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My last comment in that thread was that I'd go through my notes on the subject and get back to Tex with some thoughts. This be that post.

I'm going to start by offering that I tend to think of things in connection with other things, in threads whereby one of several things lead to another thing and that one thing is blended with several other things to form other things.

There are lots of other things I could put into this mix. Elements of religious superiority, racial superiority, concepts of control, ... A lot of it comes down to slavery and the different ways slavery has appeared throughout history. Right now slavery is out of vogue (for the most part. That's a polite way of recognizing that slavery still exists in certain places and is allowed to be hidden for socio-economic and political reasons) and "Right now" is an extremely short period of time in the history of humankind, roughly...oh...fifty years?

Thus, for me, the question of whether or not humankind will or won't at some point in the future create bioginots or symbiots or cybergenetic lifeforms capable of independent thought is irrelevant.

Effectively and efficiently exploring other worlds has several solutions. Currently the one most likely to be implemented is some form of AI with both learning and decision making ability. So sentient, synthetic life will occur (as far as I'm concerned).

However, learning and decision making ability is a combination that causes concern.

Studies of different animals demonstrate that most animals can learn at some level and to some level. We also know that at some point decision making can stop being instinctual and start being based on what the organism has learned. This is also true when the animal in question is human as has been demonstrated in virtual environments.

Let's put a cap on just how much can be learned and how much decision making based on learning can take place. Well, that pretty much defeats the use of AI systems in exploration. You can't have an (artificial) intelligence only educated in a specific environment's "best practices" (oh, good grief...shall we bring in busines concepts, as well? Heck, I started out by offering that I borrow from many disciplines) go into a completely unique environment and expect those same "best practices" to remain relevant.

Is it possible, then, to create Cuckoo's Eggs? AIs that only understand the new environment to (at some point) report back to us? Welcome slavery once again.

Would we place our own species in the possible dangers of other environments? We do now and only because it's the most economically and socio-politically feasible means we have at present. We mourn space shuttle and similar disasters. But would we mourn as much if our laptops were the control mechanisms that "died"? Perhaps the cost and the information loss...

Oops...wait a second now...We claim we're mourning the loss of brave souls but the phrasing is "the cost of human life" and "we've lost all that experience" (ie, information loss).

And when the laptop is replaced by a sentient synthetic organism? Will we mourn? Only if we endow these organisms with that combination that causes concern -- learning and decision making ability -- to the degree that they become self-aware.

That's the danger point. Our concern over the loss of species grows exponentially higher as the species being lost grows socially and cognitively closer to humankind. We lose some bacterium. Oh, pity. Sigh. I don't see charities springing up to save the amoeba and paramecium. Save some rainforest bird? People start paying attention. A wild horse? More so. Whales? Okay, people sign up. A great ape? Oh, my lord, what can we do?

How will humankind objectify self-aware, sentient, synthetic life? There will be ways, some probably quite uncomfortable for modern and current day humans to think of.

But where there is an economic, sociologic or political will, there will be a way.

And this (believe it or not), to me, brings us back to the discussion we've been having over on Craig Venter Patenting Life.

Right now the uses of these technologies are growing spare body parts, cloning "simpler" life forms --

how human to think of anything not "human" as a simpler form of life. Next time you see a fly buzzing around do appreciate that there but for the grace of environmental and genetic factors go you

-- and the like. Growing spare body parts and such... The currently accepted methodology is to have a child -- thus insuring sufficiently close genetic mappings -- to provide spares for those that came before ("Saviour Siblings" vs '"Whoops I did it again" Kids': Any Ethical Difference?). I can't begin to count how many violations such acts tally. We hear horror stories of people being shanghaied walking down a third world street and waking up to find an organ missing. How is the scenario of having a Harvester Child any different?

And knowing the exact DNA sequence of someone? Who wouldn't want a Personal Einstien? Or Shakespeare? Or Sophia Loren? (might as well satisfy all the body's needs while we're thinking about it). There is a line from the movie Gattaca, "There is no gene for the human spirit." Which genes are we wanting to promote, then, when we get the exact DNA sequence of a Craig Venter or James Watson? The technology exists to create chimeras and inject foriegn sequences into stem cells, thereby opening the door to...what? I'm not sure. Do I clone Shakespeare believing I will be the owner of an original sonnet? Does environment play no role in the development of an individual? Will my Personal Einstein unify the fields and only for me? Then I better make sure your Personal Einstein can't or won't. Do I get the Watson that decoded DNA or the art dealer (James Watson once said "I think I could have been an art dealer. I have pretty good taste.")?

Please contact NextStage for information regarding presentations and trainings on this and other topics.

Links for this post:

• The Future of Personal Genomics
• Pulling rank
• Mature Embryos Created From Adult Skin Cells, Part 1
• Mature Embryos Created From Adult Skin Cells, Part 2
• Venter's Genome Sheds New Light on Human Variation

• Know How Someone's Thinking in 10 Seconds or Less Half-day training at Toronto Emetrics Marketing Optimzation Summit, 3 April 08
• Know How Someone Is Thinking in 10 Seconds or Less Half-day training at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, 13 June 08

• Toronto Emetrics Marketing Optimzation Summit, 31 March - 2 April 08
• New Communications Forum 2008, 22-25 April 08 at The Vineyard Creek Inn & Spa, Sonoma County CA
• San Francisco Emetrics Marketing Optimzation Summit, 4-7 May 08
• SUNY Marketing Professionals Conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, 11-13 June 08

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