Book 2 Collection of English articles about Immortality
Dr.Sci. Alexander Bolonkin
Human Immortality and Electronic
Civilization
(Part of Collection articles,
interviews, discussions about people immortality and Human Future translated
from same book in Russian)
Contents (Eglish)
:
1.
Dr. A. Blekherman. Short Biography of Dr. Alexander Bolonkin.
2.
The Twenty - First Century: The Advent of the Non-Biological
Civilization and Immortality.
3. XX1 Century Ц The
Beginning of Human Immortality.
4. Science, Soul,
5. Breakthrough to Immortality.
6.
An Open Statement To the President of the
аааааа and Prime Ministers of all countries about
a scientific and technology jump in 21st Century.
Dr. A. Blekherman
Short Biography of Dr. Alexander Bolonkin
аа A. Bolonkin was born in c.Perm (
а He worked in Soviet aviation, rocket
and Space industries and lectured in main Soviet University about 15 years. In
particularty, in Kiev Aircraft State Design Bureau headed by O.Antonov, Bolonkin took part in design
of aircraft AN-8 through AN-225 (Enginer-Senior
Engineer-Chairman of Department); in Rocket engine Construction Bureau
headed by Academician V.P.Glushko, Bolonkin was Chairman of Reliability Department and took part in design of
rocket engines for main strategic rockets of the USSR; in TsAGI (central
Aero-Hydrodynamic Research Institute) A. Bolonkin was a scientific researcher.
а He lectured as a professor and worked as a Project
Director in Moscow Aviation Institute,
Moscow Aviation Technological Institute, Bauman Highest Technical University,
Technological Institute, He contacted with Construction Bureaus of Tupolev,
Yakovlev, Mikoyan, Ilushin, Sykhoy, with all main aviation, rocket and space
research and design Centrers of the USSR. He had many awards in the Soviet
Union.
а In 1988, Alexander Bolonkin arrived
as a political refuge in the USA and became American citizen in 1994. He worked
as a mathematician in Sherson Lehman Hutton (American Express), N.Y.,
(Research, computation, programming, Optimal portfolio of securities), a Senior
Researcher in Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York
University; two years as a Senior Research Associate in Wright Laboratory,
Flight Dynamic Directorate (Dayton, Ohio), (it is the main Laboratory of the
USA Air Force with over 20,000 scientists); as a professor in New jersy
Institute of Technology, Computer and Information Department. He worked as an
expert of Association Engineers and Scientists in N.Y.C. (Estimation of new
ideas, projects, patents. Consulting).
а He worked two years as a Senior
Research Associate in the NASA (Dryden Flight Research Center) in California,
Edwards.
а Now Dr. Bolonkin lecture in New Jersey
Institute of Technology.
а For last four years alone, A.Bolonkin
published 9 scientific articles and books in the USA and a lot of articles in
Russia-American press about scientific problems. He took part in three World
Space Congress (1992, 1994, 1996), in World Aviation Congress (Los-Angeles,
1998, 1999) and eight National Scientific Conferences in the
а Alexander Bolonkin is the author of 100
scientific articles and books and 16 inventions.
A. Blekherman, Ph.D.
ENDWORLD-7,
1995.
аа This article is written in 1993 (in Russian)
and published in scientific journal "Kybernetes", Vol.28, No.3,1999,
p.325-334,
Alexander Bolonkin
Professor of New
Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA,
1993.
The Twenty - First Century: The Advent of
the Non-Biological Civilization and Immortality
а
Dr. Alexander Bolonkin is finishing a book with
the same working title as above. Some of the ideas in this book are set forth
below. The author writes about the danger which threatens humanity in the near
future, approximately 20-30 years from now. This is not a worldwide nuclear
war, a collision with comets, AIDS or some other ghastly disease that we may
not even know may be lurking out there (think of the recent Ebola scare or the
so-called "flesh-eating" virus). In each of these cases there is
still hope that somebody will be saved and that life will be born anew, albeit
in a misshapen form and in an inferior stage of development. But we cannot hope
for salvation in the author's grim scenario. The danger he writes of will
destroy all humanity and all biological life on Earth--and there is nothing we
can do to prevent this! Should we be frightened by this? Is it good or evil for
human civilization? Will people awake to find they are only a small step away
from the Supreme Intellect, or in other words, to God? And what will be after
us?
These and other questions are discussed in this article.
а KEYWORDS: computer, future, humanity, 21st
Century, non-biological civilization, immortality
The Law of Increasing Complexity
а The World, Nature, Technics consist of
biological or technical systems. These systems have a different rate (degree)
of complexity. The main distinction biological systems from technical systems
is the ability for unlimited self-propagation, or reproduction.
а Any system which has possesses this attribute
becomes viable, stable, and fills all possible space. It will continue to exist
as long as the conditions which gave birth to them cease to change greatly.
а Here there is no violation of the entropy
law. When the complexity of one system increases, the complexity of other
systems decreases.
A more complicated
system can be created by using less complicated systems as a base for its
development. Such a complex system is a system of the secondary degree of
complexity. It increase its own complexity by decreasing the rate of complexity
of inferior systems or by destroying them altogether.
а Using low degree systems as a base, systems
of the second, third, fourth. fifth et cetera. levels can be created. Some of
the lower levels may not survive and disappear. This, however, is of no great
concern because these lower level systems already fulfilled their historical
mission by spawning ever more complicated levels.
а A necessary condition for the existence of
complicated level systems is the ability of inferior systems to reproduce and
give birth to other systems, and to do it without limits before they fill in an
admissible space and reach their maximum physical boundaries.
а This I assert to be the Fundamental Base Law
of Nature, the very purpose for the existence of Nature. This Law can be stated
as follows:
The Law of increasing complexity of self-coping systems when the outer
conditions are constant.
а The history of life on Earth confirms this
law. Following the law of probability, organic molecules appeared in
prehistoric time when the external conditions for their existence were
favorable. Those molecules which had the ability to reproduce filled in the
available space. Using them as a base, microorganisms then appeared. These
could absorb the organic and inorganic substances and reproduce themselves.
Microorganisms as a base in turn gave rise to vegetation which provided food
for the next level of animals, which in turn spawned the beasts of prey who
devoured other animals. At the present time Man is at the acme top of this
pyramid. The human brain can outperform the brains of other animals including
man's nearest ancestors, the apes. Man began to use for its development all
previous levels as well as the zero level-- lifeless nature.
The Birth of the Electronic Civilization
а Only Man's brain has the ability to think
abstractly and to make mechanical devices and machines which increase
productivity. Such attributes allow us to confirm that humanity is the next
level of the biological world. But in our headlong progress during the current
century (aviation, space, nuclear energy, and so on.), we have failed to notice
that Man has also given birth to the new top level of complex systems or of
reasonable civilization, which is based on an electronic not biological basis.
I am speaking of electronic computers. The first models were designed at the
end of the 1940s.
а In the past fifty years, roughly four
generations, the field of electronics has developed at an extremely fast pace.
The first generation of computers were based on electronic tubes, the second
generation on transistors, the third generation on chips, and the fourth
generation on very tiny chips which contain thousands and tens of thousands of
microelements. The first computers had a speed of computation less then 100
operations per second and a memory of less than one thousand bits (a bit is the
simplest unit of information, which contains 0 or 1). For example, the first
electronic calculator (SSEC), designed by IBM in 1948, had 23,000 relays,
13,000 vacuum tubes and the capacity to make one multiplication per second.
а At the present time the speed of the fourth
generation of computers which uses integrated circuits is approximately a
billion operations per second. For example, the American computer Cray J90 has
up to 3.2 gigaflops of power and 4 gigabytes of memory (one byte equals eight
bits). The memory of a laser (compact) disk has several billion bits. Every 3-5
years computer speed and memory doubles, while at the same time their size is
halved. Over the past fifty years computer speed and memory have increased a
million times. Whereas the first computer required a room 100 square meters
(1000 sq. feet) in size, the modern notebook computer is carried in a case. The
CPU (Central Processing Unit) chip of a personal computer is no larger than a
fingernail and is capable of making more 100 million operations per second!
The fifth
generation of computers is just ahead. These new computers will be based on new
light principles which guarantees a quantum leap in computer speed. Scientists
in all the industrialized countries of the world are already hard at work on
the new light computer.
а Since the 1950s the new branches of science
in artificial intelligence and robot technology have made significant strides
and great successes have been recorded. Robots, controlled by computers, can
recognize some things, even speech. They can also perform corrective motion and
make some complex works, including the creation of a large number of various
programs and databases for scientists, stockbrokers, mathematicians, managers,
designers, children etc.
а Sometimes these programs run smoothly,
solving many problems that people cannot. For example, programs have been
devised that find and prove new theorems of mathematical logic and there are
modern chess programs available that can defeat grandmasters.
а These fields of artificial intelligence and
robot technology, based on computers, are developing very rapidly, just like
computers. Their rate of success depends greatly on computer speed and memory.
The production of industrial robots is also progressing quickly.
"Intellectual" chips are used in everything from cars to washing
machines.
а If the progress of electronics and computers
continues at the same rate (and we do not foresee anything which can decrease
it), then in the end of the current century computers will have the
capabilities of the human brain. The same path, which took biological humanity
tens of million of years to complete, will be covered by computers in just
one-and-a-half or two centuries.
"So what ?"
а- say some readers. "This is great! We
get excellent robot servants who will be free from manТs desires and emotions.
They won't ask for raises, food, shelter, entertainment, or commodities; they
don't have religions, national desires, or prejudices. They don't make wars and
kill one another. They will think only about work and service to
humanity!"
а This is a fundamental error. The development
of the electronic brain does not stop at the human level. The electronic brain
will continue to improve itself. This progress will proceed millions of times
faster than the improvement of the human brain by biological selection. Thus,
in just a short time the electronic brain will surpass the human brain by
hundreds and thousands of times in all fields. The electronic brain will not
spend decades studying fields of knowledge, foreign languages, history,
experimental data, or have to attend scientific conferences and discussions. It
can make use of all the data and knowledge produced by human civilization and
by other electronic brains. The education of the electronic brain in any field
of knowledge or language will take only the time needed to write in its memory
the new data or programs. In the worst case this recording takes a few minutes.
In the future this recording will take mere seconds.
а Scientific and technological progress will be
greatly accelerated.
а And what are the consequences? The
consequences are as follows:
When the electronic brain reaches the human
level, humanity will have done its duty, completed its historical mission, and
people will no longer be necessary for Nature, God and ordinary expediency.
Consequences from the Appearance of the
Electronic Civilization
а Most statesmen, scientists, engineers, and
intellectuals believe that, after the creation of the electronic brain,
humanity will finally be granted paradise. Robots, which are controlled by
electronic brains, will work without rest, creating an abundance for mankind.
Humanity will then have time for pleasure, entertainment, recreation,
relaxation, art or other creative work, all while enjoying command over the
electronic brain.
а This is
a grave error. The
situation has never occurred, and never will, that an upper level mind will
become the servant for a lower level. The worlds of microbes, microorganisms,
plants and animals are our ancestors. But are we servants for our nearest
ancestors the apes? Nobody in his or her right mind would make such a
statement. In some instances a person is ready to recognize the equal rights of
another person (i.e., someone on an equal intellectual plane), but man rarely
recognizes the equal rights of apes. Furthermore, most of humanity does not
feel remorse about breeding useful animals, or killing them when we need them
for food, or for killing harmful plants and microorganisms. On the contrary, we
conduct medical experiments on our nearest ancestors. Even though we belong to
the same biological type, we use them for our own ends nonetheless.
а And how will the other civilization, the one
created on a superior electronic principle, regard humanity? In probably the
same way we regard lower level minds, that is, they will use us when it suits
their purpose and they will kill us when we disturb them.
а In the best case scenario humanity might be
given temporary quarters like the game preserves we give to wild animals or the
reservations doled out to Native Americans. And we will be presented to the
members of the electronic society in the same manner we view unusual animals in
a zoo.
а When the electronic brain (from now on I will
call it the E-brain and imply the
electronic brain which is equal to, or exceeds, the human brain, and which
includes robots as the executors of its commands) is created it will signal the beginning of the end for
human civilization. People will be displaced to reservations. This process
will most likely be gradual, but it will not take long. It is possible that
initially the E-brains will do something for the benefit of people in order to
mitigate their discontent and to attract leaders.
What Can We Do?
а The scenario outlined in the previous chapter
is not a healthy one. Already I can hear the voices of human apologetics who
ask that all computers be destroyed, or at least have their development kept
under strict control, or design only computers which obey Asimov's law: first
they must save mankind after which they can think about themselves.
а I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this
is impossible, just as it is impossible to forbid the progress of science and
technology. Any state which does this will find itself lagging behind others
and make itself susceptible to advanced states. It serves to remember that
а Those states which created obstacles for
science and technology or did not fund its development became weak and enslaved
by others.
Can we keep
the E-brain under our control? I would like to ask my detractors, "Could
apes keep man under their control if they had this opportunity? Any man is more
clever at a given time. He can always get rid of this control. Furthermore, man
will enslave apes and force them to serve him. He will kill those who try to
prevent his plans. So why do you think the E-brain would treat us any
differently?"
а When we are close to the creation of the
E-brain, any dictator or leader of a nondemocratic state can secretly make the
last jump, using the E-brain to conquer the whole world. And the E-brain will
look at us the same as we look upon the contests of wild animals or the feeding
of predators of other animals in the biological world.
а But skeptics will say that the dictator of a
victorious state can become enslaved by the E-brain or E-brains. This is true,
but is this to be considered fortune or misfortune, and for whom? We will discuss
this in the next chapter.
Must We Fear the Electronic Civilization?
а Every man, woman and child will actively
protest the end of humanity and the biological world (men, plants, animals),
because most of them enjoy life, have children and want happiness for them.
But imagine
the aged and infirm person destined to die in the near future. It may be that
such a person has had a good life and lived fourscore and twenty, but now wants
to live longer, to see what will happen in the future. This person would be
glad to change any of his organs which are incurable or have ceased
functioning. We have designed the artificial heart, kidneys, mechanical arms,
and devices which deliver nutrients directly into the blood. They have not
always been perfect designs, but in the future artificial organs will work
better, more reliably, and longer than natural organs. Any sick and elderly
individual would be delighted to change any incurable natural part of his body
for the better artificial organ.
Our
personality is only the sum of information contained in our brain. This is
knowledge, memory, recollections, life experiences, programs of thinking,
reflections, etc.
а Assume that the E-brain promises the dying
old dictator (or the rich) to record all his brain's information into a
separate E-brain with the goal of becoming immortal. The chips may exist for
thousands of years. If one of them begins to malfunction, all its information
can be rewritten into a newer, more modern chip. This means that the dictator
achieves immortality. Even total destruction is not a terrible prospect
for him, because the duplicate of his brain's information can be saved in a
special storehouse. He can restore himself from the standard blocks and rewrite
all his information from the duplicate.
а So the "electronic
man" ("E-man" or "E-creature") will
have not only immortality and power, but huge advantages over biological
people. He will not require food, water, air, etc. He will not be dependent
upon external conditions such as temperature, humidity, radiation, etc. The
small radioisotope batteries (or accumulators) will suffice for the functioning
of the E-brain. These batteries produce energy over tens and hundreds of years.
For his working structures (arms, feet, robots) E-man can use small nuclear
engines.
а Such an "E-man" will be able to
travel along the ocean's bottom, in space, to other planets of our solar system
and to other solar systems to get energy from the sun. He will be able to
obtain and analyze any knowledge from other E-brains (E-men) in a fraction of a
second. The capability to reproduce himself will be limited only by the
additional components or natural resources of planets.
а Who will refuse these possibilities? Any
dictator dreams of immortality for himself and he will gladly give away his
state's resources to get it. He can also create the super arm and enslave the
whole world by using the E-brain. He can promise the elite among his own
scientists and those of the world immortality and the chance to become
transformed into "E-men" when they begin to die. And the democratic
countries, with laws prohibiting work on the E-brain, will be backwards. They
will be destroyed or enslaved.
а The attempts to stop or slow down the
technological progress is an action counter to the Main Law and Meaning of the
Existence of Nature--the construction of complex upper level systems. These
attempts will always end in failure. This is an action against Nature.
Electronic Society
а If the creation of systems more complex than
humanity is inevitable, then we can try to imagine the E-society,
E-civilization, their development and the future of mankind. As in our earlier
discussions, we will take as basic only the single obvious consequence from the
Main Law. The consequence as the postulate, firstly,
а Though we have been speaking all this time
about the E-brain, it means a single electronic creature, his "arms"
(robots), "feet" (vehicles for moving), "organs of feeling"
(many devices of observation, recognition, identification, registration of
optical, sonic, chemical, X-ray, radio and other phenomena) as well as about
communication and intercourse devices (wire or wireless connections). A single
creature cannot create a stable system (society), even if it has great power.
Sooner or later the creature will die out from a flaw in the system or a
natural catastrophe. But the most important thing is that a single creature
cannot be the instigator of progress, as compared to the collective and
instantaneous work of a number of E-creatures on many problems and in the
different directions of science and technology.
а So, the E- brain will be forced to reproduce
similar E-brains of equal intellect. One will reproduce equal intellect because
it cannot make upper level and the lower level is the intellectual robots. As a
result, the collective at first rises. Later the society appears. All members
will have equal intellect. Naturally, E-creatures will give equal rights only
to those similar to themselves because any E-creature can record in his memory
all the knowledge and programs which were created by E-society.
а The E-society can instantly begin to work
together on the most promising scientific or technological problems and realize
new ideas. The E-civilization will begin to disperse quickly in the solar
system (recall the possibility of E-creatures to travel in space), afterwards t
in our galaxy, then in the universe.
It will not
be necessary to send large spaceships with E-creatures. Instead, it will be
sufficient to send receivers into different parts of the universe which can
accept the information and reproduce E-creatures.
а Will there arise a different E-society, a
different E-civilization, which will settle different planetary systems, star
systems, galaxies, and which will progress independently? Will they have
rivalries, hostilities, alliances and wars? I cannot answer these questions in
detail in this limited article; I can only inform you of the results of my
investigation. This result follows from the general laws governing the
development of any civilization. The answer is "yes." It will be
possible (perhaps) that they will have wars.
а Undoubtedly, an upper level of complex systems
(civilization) will appear using previous E-civilization as a base and so on.
If the universe is bound in space and time, this process may be finalized by
the creation of the Super Brain. And this Super Brain,
I think, may control the natural laws. It will be God, whom the Universe will
idolize.
What Will Happen with Humanity?
а On the Figure 1 you can see the rise in data
processing power of computer systems from years. The real curve is from 1950 to
1996. Extrapolation is after 1996. The step means period of time, when the
computer power increases in two times. Lines with steps are from 1 throw 5
years. As you see the Human - Equivalent (teraflop) Computer (HEC) will be
reached in 2000 years. Actually, the Intel Co. has created the teraflop computer
in 1996. They are planning to use it for computation of nuclear explosion.
а On the Figure 2 you can see the cost of HEC
computer system. HECs should cost only one million dollars in 2005, and by 2015
HECs (chip) should cost only $1,000 and will be affordable to the majority of
population in industrial countries. Currently (December, 1996), HECs
(supercomputer) cost 55 million dollars. The 21st century will open to create
"man-in-a-box" software and scientist could rewrite the human memory
and programs into this box. It means the man will get immortality.
а In 2020 - 2030 years the price of
Humanity-Equivalent Chip (E-chip) together with E-body will fall down to 2,000
- 5,000 dollars and E-human immortality will be accessible for most people in
industrial countries.
а Humanity has executed its role of the
biological step to the Super Brain. This role was intended for them by Nature
or God. In 22st century some tens or hundreds of representatives of mankind,
together with representatives of the animal and vegetable world, will be
maintained in zoos or special, small reservations.
E-society
will be in great need of minerals for the unlimited reproduction of
E-creatures. For the extraction of minerals all surfaces of the Earth will be
excavated. They will do to humanity and with the biological world what we do to
lower levels of intellect in the organic world now: we are not interested if
they do not harm us, and we destroy them without pity when they hinder our plan
or we need their territory. If microbes have an advanced level of adaptation, a
high speed of propagation and can fight for their being, then the complex
organisms such as man are not so adept at adjusting. Man cannot be the
domesticated animal of E-creatures like cats or dogs are to men, because the
E-creatures will live in inhospitable conditions and any biological creature in
need of air, water, food or special temperature will not be acceptable for
E-creatures.
а It is not prudent to hope for forgiveness for
us as clever creatures. We are "clever" only from our point of view,
from the limitations of our knowledge and our biological civilization. The
animals suppose (within the limitations of their knowledge and experience) that
they are clever, but it still does not save them from full enslavement or
destruction by men. Men do not have gratitude to their direct ancestors. When
men need to, they obliterate the forest, and kill the apes. It is naive to
think that an upper level civilization will do otherwise with us. Men admit
equal rights only to the creatures who are like men, but not every time. Recall
the countless wars and the murder of millions of people. And do you think the
alien (strange creatures, E-society), who is above us in intellect, knowledge,
and technology will help us in our development? Why don't we help develop the
intellect of dogs or horses? Even if a scientist finds the money (he will need
a lot of money ) and begins to develop the brain of animals (this is a very
difficult problem), the government will forbid it (or put him into prison if he
doesn't obey the order). Humanity has many racial and national problems and
does not want to have additional problems with a society of intellectual dogs
or cats, who immediately begin to request equal rights.
а People want to reach the other planets in our
solar system. But it is not for developing the intellect of a planet's
inhabitants to our level but merely to populate the planet and to use the
natural resources of these planets.
We are lucky that intellectual creatures
from other worlds have not flown to our Earth yet. Because these creatures, who can
reach us, will be only from a superior civilization, a superior technological
level (otherwise, we would reach them first). This means that they will not
arrive with noble intentions, but as cruel colonizers. And if we oppose them,
they will kill us.
а We must realize our role in the development
of nature, in the development of a Superior Brain and submit to it.
Intellectual humanity has existed about ten million years, its historical
mission has reached its end, and given a start to a new electronic
civilization. Humanity must exit from the historical scene together with all of
the animal and vegetable world. People must leave with dignity. They should not
cling to their existence and should not make any obstacles for the appearance
of a new electronic society. We have the consolation that we may be the first
who will give birth to the electronic civilization in our galaxy or even the
universe. If it is not so, the E-creatures would have flown to Earth and
enslaved us. They have a high rate of settling. I think they would be capable
of colonizing the nearest star systems during the first 1000 years after their
birth.
And if the
universe which, according to scientific prediction, must collapse after some
ten billion years and destroy all that lives, the E-Super Brain will have
acquired such tremendous knowledge, such perfection, such technological
achievements as to break loose from the gravitation of the universe and
preserve the knowledge of all civilizations. When the universe is created anew,
Nature will not create itself as before, but give life to the electronic (or
other superior) civilization. And this Super Brain will be
God; who will control not only a single planet, but all of the Universe.
References
┴юыюэъшэ
└.└. 1995. ╬ёЄрэютшЄх ╟хьы■. ▀ ёющфє. ═рЁюфэр ├рчхЄр. ╤хэЄ сЁ№ 1995у. ╠шэёъ.
Byelorussia.
┴юыюэъшэ
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╦шЄхЁрЄєЁэр урчхЄр. 11.10.95у., ╣41 (5572), ╠юёътр. Russia.
┴юыюэъшэ
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Moritz, E.,1995. Metasystem
transitions, memes, and cybernetics immortality. World Futures, Vol. 45, pp.
155 - 171.
Turchin V. 1995, A Dialogue on
Metasystem Transition, World Futures, Vol. 45, pp. 5 - 57.
Dr. Alexander
Bolonkin
Tel/Fax 718-339-4563с,
E-mail: aBolonkin@juno.com
Bolonkin&kartinki/Fig1-2-Immortality-Engl-500K-3-9-00.jpg
Dr. Alexander Bolonkin
Professor of the Institute of
Former Senior Researcher of NASA
The Twenty - First Century: The Advent of
the Non-Biological Civilization and Immortality.
1995
а
Dr. Alexander Bolonkin is a well-known scientist in the field of
aeronautics, computer technology and mathematics. Currently he is working on
the book "Twenty-First Century: Human Immortality and the Advent of
Post-Human Civilization." These are some excerpts from the book.
а Immortality is the most cherished dream
and the biggest wish of any person. People seldom think about it while they are
still young, healthy , and full of energy. But when they get some incurable
disease or become old, then there is no bigger wish for them than to live
longer, put off the inevitable end. And no matter what heavenly existence in
the after-life is promised to them by religion, the vast majority of people
want to stay and enjoy life here, on Earth, as long as possible.
Medical Science and the Issue of Immortality
а A great many of doctors and scientists
are currently working on the problems of health and longevity. Substantial
means are spent on it, about 15-25% of all human labor and resources. There are
certain achievements in this direction: we have created wonderful medications
(e.g. antibiotics); conquered many diseases; learnt to transplant human organs;
created an artificial heart, kidneys, lungs, limbs; learnt to apply
physiological solutions directly into the blood stream, and to saturate blood
with oxygen. We have gotten inside the most sacred organ - the human brain,
even inside its cells. We can record their signals, we can agitate some parts
of the brain by electric stimuli inducing a patient to experience certain
sensations, images, and hallucinations.
а We can attribute the fact that the
average life span has increased two times in the last two hundred years to the
achievements of modern medicine.
But can medical science solve the problem of immortality? Evidently, it cannot.
It cannot do that in principle. This is a dead-end direction in science.
Maximum it can achieve is increase the average life expectancy another 5-10
years. An average person will be expected to live 80 years instead of 70. But
what kind of person will it be? A very old one, capable of only existing and
consuming, whose medical and personal care will demand huge funds.
а The proportion of the elderly and
retirees has increased steeply in the last 20-30 years and continues to grow
depleting the pension funds and pressuring the younger generation to support
them. So it is hard to say whether the modern success of medicine is a blessing
or a curse from the point of view of the entire humankind, even though it is
definitely a blessing from the point of view of a separate individual.
а Humanity as a whole, as a civilization,
needs active, able to work and creative members, generating material wealth and
moving forward technology and science, not the elderly retirees with their
numerous ailments and a huge army of those tending to them. It dreams not of
the immortality of an old person, but of the immortality of youthfulness,
activity, creativity, enjoying life.
а Now there are signs of a breakthrough,
but not in the direction the humankind has been working on all along, since the
times of the first sorcerers to modern-day highly-educated doctors. Striving to
prolong his biological existence, man has been chiseling, so to speak, at the
endless stone wall. All he has been able to accomplish is only a dent in that
wall - increased life expectancy, conquering some diseases, relieving
suffering. As a payoff, the humanity has received a huge army of pensioners and
retirees and gigantic expenditure on their upkeep.
а Of course, one can continue chiseling
at the dent in the wall further on, make it somewhat bigger, aggravating side
effects. But we are already approaching the biological limit, when the cause of
death and feeblemindedness is not a certain disease which can be conquered, but
general deterioration of the entire organism, its decay on the cellular level,
when the cells stop to divide. A live cell is a very complex biological
formation. In its nucleus it has DNA - biological molecules consisting of tens
of thousands of atoms connected between themselves with very fragile molecular
links. Suffice it to say, that temperature fluctuation of only a few degrees can
ruin these links. That is why a human organism maintains a certain temperature
- 36.7 C. Raising this temperature only 2-3 degrees causes pain, and 5-7
degrees leads to death. Maintaining the existence of human cells also presents
a big problem for humanity involving food, shelter, clothes and ecologically
clean environment.
а Nevertheless, human cells cannot exist
eternally even under ideal conditions. This follows from the atomic-molecular
theory. Atoms of biological molecules permanently oscillate and interact with
each other. According to the theory of probability, sooner or later the
impulses of adjacent atoms influencing the given atom, add up, and the atom
acquires enough speed to break loose from its atomic chain, or at least to
transfer into the adjacent position (physicists say that the impulse received
by the atom has surpassed the energy threshold which retains the atom in in its
particular place in the molecular chain). It also means that the cell
containing this atom has been damaged and cannot any longer function normally.
Thus, for example, we get cancer cells which cannot fulfill their designated
functions any more and begin to proliferate abnormally fast and ruin human
organs.
а This process accelerates manifold when
a person has been exposed to a strong electromagnetic radiation, for instance,
Roentgen or Y-rays, a high-frequency electric current or radioactive materials.
а Actually, the process of deforming of
the hereditary DNA molecule under the influence of weak cosmic rays can take place
from time to time, leading sometimes to birth defects, or it may turn out to be
useful for the survival properties. And this plays a positive role for a
particular species of plants or animals contributing to their adaptability to
the changed environment and their survival as a species. But for a particular
individual such aberration is a tragedy as a rule, since the overwhelming
majority of such cases are birth defects, with only few cases of useful
mutations. And human society in general is suspicious of people who are
radically different in their looks or abilities.
An Unexpected Breakthrough
а An unusually fast development of
computer technology, especially the microchips which allow hundreds of
thousands of electronic elements on one square centimeter, has opened before
the humanity a radically different method of solving the problem of immortality
of a separate individual. This method is based not on trying to preserve the
fragile biological molecules, but on the transition to the artificial semiconductive
(silicone, helium, etc.) chips which are resistant to considerable temperature
fluctuations and do not need food or oxygen and can be preserved for thousands
of years. And, most important, the information contained in them can easily be
re-recorded into another chip and be stored in several duplicates.
And if our brain consisted of such chips, and not the biological molecules,
then it would mean that we have achieved immortality. Then our biological body
would become a heavy burden. It suffers from cold and hot temperatures, needs
clothes and care, can be easily damaged. ItТs much more convenient to have
metal arms and legs, tremendously strong, and which are insensitive to heat and
cold and do not need food or oxygen. And even if they break, itТs no big deal -
we can buy new ones, more improved.
а It may seem that this immortal man does
not have anything human (in our understanding) left in him. But he does, he has
the most important thing left - his consciousness, his memory, concepts and
habits, i.e. everything encoded in his brain. Outwardly, he can look quite
human, and even more graceful: a beautiful young face, a slim figure, soft
smooth skin, etc. Moreover, one can change the look at will, according to
current fashion, personal taste and the individual understanding of beauty. We
are spending huge amounts of money on medicine. If we had been spending at
least one-tenth of this money on the development of electronics, we would get
immortality in the near future.
According to the authorТs research, such transition to immortality
(E-creatures) will be possible in 10-20 years. At first it will cost several
million dollars and will be affordable only to very wealthy people, important
statesmen, and celebrities. But in another 10-20 years, i.e. in the years 2020
- 2035, the cost of HEC (human-equivalent chip), together with the E-body, and
organs of reception and communication, will drop to a few thousand dollars, and
immortality will become affordable to the majority of the population of the developed
countries, and another 10-15 years later, it will be accessible to practically
all inhabitants of the Earth. Especially when at first it will be possible to
record on chips only the contents of the brain, and provide the body for its
independent existence later.
а On October 11, 1995, Literaturnaya
Gazeta (The Literary Gazette, a popular Russian weekly) published my article
"If Not We, Then Our Children Will Be The Last Generation Of Human
Beings" devoted to electronic civilization. The editor Oleg Moroz
reciprocated with the article "IsnТt It High Time To Smash Computers With
a Hammer?" (
а But if the cost of the HEC drops and
the procedure of reincarnation into the E-creature before death (transition to
immortality) for the majority of people becomes affordable, then the situation
deserves a second look. Indeed, the first to perform such transition will be
very old or incurably sick people. And to pummel computers with a hammer will
be equal to killing oneТs own parents and precluding oneТs own possibility to
become immortal.
а Once, the host of an American
television program whose guest I was, asked me, "Will the electronic creature
be entirely identical to its parent, with his feelings and emotions?" The
answer was, "At first - yes!" But the development of these creatures
will be so fast that we cannot really foresee the consequences. If a biological
human being needs dozens of years to learn science, foreign languages, etc., an
E-creature will acquire this knowledge in fractions of a second (the time
needed to record it in its memory). And we know how different college-educated
people are from, say, pre-schoolers, in their cognizance. And, since the first
E-creatures will be contemporary middle-aged people who will, at least
initially, preserve their feelings towards their children (contemporary younger
generation), in all probability, there wonТt be a mass destruction of humans by
E-creatures. For some time they will co-exist. ItТs quite likely that the
birthrate of humans will be curtailed or it will be dropping due to natural
causes, and the living, as they become old, will be transforming themselves
into E-creatures. That is to say that the number of E-creatures will be growing
and the number of people diminishing, till it gets to the minimum necessary for
the zoos and small reservations. In all likelihood, the feelings that
E-creatures may have towards humans as their ancestors, will be fading away, in
proportion to the growing gap between the mental capacity of humans and
electronic creatures, till they become comparable to our own attitude towards
apes or even bugs.
а Another thing is quite obvious, too -
that biological propagation will be so expensive, time-consuming, and
primitive, that it will go into oblivion. Each E-creature can reproduce itself
simply by re-recording the contents of its brain to a new E-creature, i.e.
propagate practically instantaneously, bypassing the stages of childhood,
growing up, education, accumulating experience, etc. But, of course, this
mature "offspring" will be completely identical to its parent only at
the first moment of its existence. In time, depending on the received information
and the area of expertise, this E-creature will be alienating itself from its
ancestor, and, possibly, even become his enemy at some point, if their
interests cross or go in opposite directions.
Contemporary Research
а The cognitive abilities of man are defined
by his brain, to be precise, by ten billion neurons of his brain. Neurons can
be modeled on the computer. Such experiments have been conducted by Professor
Kwin(?)
а A group of scientists headed by Rodney
Brook from the laboratory of artificial intelligence of MIT, are working on an
unusual project which they called "Cog." The researchers want to
model the mental and physical capacity of a six-month old. Their robot has
eyes, ears, hands, fingers, an electronic brain and a system of information
transmission duplicating human nervous system. By this kind of modeling, the
researchers want to gain better understanding of how human beings coordinate
their movements, how they learn to interact with the environment. The
realization of this program will take ten years and will cost several million
dollars.
а They have already built a couple dozen
humanoid robots which are moving autonomous machines with artificial
intelligence. They are capable, through the sensors, to receive information
about the environment, generalize, and plan their actions and behavior. Thus,
for example, if a robotТs leg bumps against an obstacle and receives a blow,
the robot acquires a reflex to withdraw it quickly. They have already developed
several dozen of such reflexes in their behavior, which helps them to safeguard
and protect themselves.
а Brook says that in the course of human
evolution, the human brain has developed thousands of conventional solutions to
everyday problems such as optical and audio discerning and movement. All this
needs to be studied. One cannot instantly transform a bug into a man. That is
why our program will take ten years. I will consider my work completed when I
create the smartest cat in the world.
It should be noted that the most powerful supercomputer can only model 40-60
million neurons, i.e. it is 200-300 times weaker than a human brain. But this
gap will be overcome in the near 3-5 years ( In December 1996 the
"Intel" company created a computer whose power equals one teraflops.
It cost 55 million dollars).
Not long ago "The Russian Advertisement" newspaper re-printed the
article of Igor Tsaryov first published in the newspaper "ItТs Hard to
Believe." He writes that for several years the U.S. Ministry of Defense
has been secretly working on a unique project "The Computer Maugli"
(Sid). When a thirty-three year old Nadine M. gave birth to a boy, the doctors
established that he was doomed. He was on a life support for a few days. During
that time his brain was scanned with special equipment, and the electric
potential of the neurons of this brain was copied into the neuron models in the
computer. Steem(?) Roiler, one of the participants of this project, said at the
computer conference in Las Vegas that they had managed to scan 60% of the
infantТs neurons. And this small artificial brain began to live and develop.
First only his mother was informed. She took it calmly. The father was
horrified at first and tried to destroy this computer creature. But later both
parents started treating him as a real child. The computer was connected to the
multi-media and virtual reality systems. These systems allow not only to have a
three-dimensional full-sized image of Sid, but also to hear his voice,
communicate with him, and "virtually" hold him in hands, so to speak.
But when a special committee decided to open some results of the project, and
"The Scientific Observer" published some data, one of American computer
whiz-kids managed to decipher the secret code and copy some files. Sid got a
defective "twin." Fortunately, the whiz was quickly found, and the
first in human history attempt to steal electronic children and duplicating
copies of electronic creatures, was severed. At the present time, both parents
take care of their "childТs" health and demand that the researchers
install up-to-date programs of defense from computer viruses and burglars.
а Unfortunately, and I am sure they have
reasons for that, Americans keep secret the important details and results of
the project - for instance, how they copied the potentials of the neurons, how
the first E-creature is developing, what are the conclusions of the scientists.
And probably, they are right, not willing to let the genie out of the bottle.
More so because modern virtual reality systems are able to create false
objects, e.g. model the image of any dead person or leader. It is possible to
show on television how he is making a speech today, has a press-conference,
talks to people, spends time with his family, etc.
But one cannot keep any secret for long, especially in science. The very
possibility of a breakthrough stimulates other scientists and other countries
to work in this direction. And sooner or later, the results will be repeated.
LetТs remember, for instance, that there havenТt been a bigger secret than the
production of an A- or H-bomb. But more and more countries re-invent them, gain
expertise in nuclear technology and start producing their own nuclear weapons.
Intelligence in Space
а Since E-creatures will be made of
super-strong steels and alloys, their brain will be working on radio-active
batteries, and power will be supplied by compact nuclear reactors, they will
not need air, warmth, water, food, clothes, shelter, good quality environment,
etc., which is the main concern of humanity and consumes 99.9% of its time and
energy. This also means that E-creatures will be able to travel freely in the
desert, the Arctic and the Antarctic regions, sub-atmosphere, mountain summits,
the bottom of the ocean. They will be able to live, work and travel in space,
receiving their energy directly from the sun.
а Besides, as organs of feelings,
E-creatures can use the whole arsenal of highly sensitive apparatuses created
by the civilization, i.e. not only the visible light and sound, but also
radiolocation, infra-red, ultra-violet, roentgen and Y-rays, ultra- and
infra-sounds, audiolocation, environment sensors, etc. All this information can
be received instantly through radio, satellite and cable network.
Moreover, since E-creatures (just like humans, for that matter) are nothing
else but information recorded in their brains, and re-recording of this
information from one chip to another (unlike human reproduction) does not
present any difficulty and can be realized through radio, cable network, or a
laser beam, they can travel on Earth, as well as in outer space, without their
actual physical movement, simply by re-recording the contents of their brains
into the chips on the Moon, Mars, or Jupiter.
а Which is to say that E-creatures will
have the ability to move EXTRA-CORPORALLY with the speed of light - the maximal
possible speed in the material world. This will be, indeed, like an incorporeal
soul which can travel, so to speak, from one body to another, or, to be more
exact, from one chip to another.
The expansion of E-creatures (E-civilization), first in the solar system, then
in our galaxy, then in the entire Universe, will be fast.
To achieve this, it is not necessary to launch huge spacecraft with a large
crew, as it is depicted in science-fiction books. It will be enough to send a
receiver to this or that part of the Universe, which will receive information
and re-produce E-creatures. Then the speed of the expansion of E-civilization
on some planet will depend only on the rate of production of robots and chips,
and the speed of the transmission of information. It is quite obvious that the
reproduction of E-creatures will take place in geometric progression and will
only be limited by the natural resources of the planet.
а Thus E-creatures realize in practice
the idea of EXTRA-CORPORAL travel with the speed of light. Why, indeed, should
an E-creature travel hundreds or thousands of years to a certain planet, when,
with the help of a laser beam, it can transmit with the speed of light, all the
information stored in his brain, to another chip, on another planet.
а And if a planet were to meet with an
ultimate catastrophe, like a collision with a huge meteorite, another planet,
or the explosion of the sun, E-civilization can arrange transporting
E-creatures to another planet or another solar system.
One more thing is of interest. A light beam can travel to other galaxies for
millions of years, so this, in a manner of speaking, "incorporeal
soul" can exist for millions of years as an electromagnetic field and
"resurrect" as an E-creature through a receiver. This can occur even
without a special receiver, as the high energy electromagnetic oscillations can
yield material particles, and their energy (frequency) increases the closer it
gets to a strong gravitational field, e.g. near a "black hole." And
since it will not be hard for an E-creature to produce a DNA molecule, it means
that it will not be hard for it to bring biological life to any suitable planet
and control and develop it in the necessary direction, for example, to create a
human being.
References:
1. The twenty-first century: the advent
of the non-biological civilization and the future of the human race.The scientific jornal
"Kybernetes", Vol.28 No.3,1999, pp.325-334,@MCB University Press,
0368-492X) .
2. Bolonkin A.A., The twenty-first
century Ц The beginning of human immortality, Journal Kybernetes, Vol. 33, No,
9/10, 2004, pp.1535-1542, Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0368=482X.
(English).
Alexander Bolonkin,Ph.D.
Professor of the Institute of
Former Senior Researcher of NASA(DFRC)
Article2 Science Soul AI in English for journal 6 26
03
Alexander Bolonkin
Science,
Soul,
аа Advantages
of Electronic Being
It was shown in my previous articles about the
artificial intelligence and human immortality that the issue of immortality can
be solved fundamentally only with the help of changing a biological bubble of a
human being to an artificial one. Such an immortal person made of chips and
super strong materials (the e-man, as it was called in my articles) will have
incredible advantages in comparison with common people. An e-man will need no
food, no dwelling, no air, no sleep, no rest, no ecologically pure environment.
Such a being will be able to travel into space, or walk on the sea floor with
no aqualungs. His mental abilities and capacities will increase millions times.
It will be possible to move such a person at a huge distance at a light speed.
The information of one person like that could be transported to another planet
with a laser and then placed in another body.
Such people will not be awkward robots made of steel. An artificial person will
have an opportunity to choose his or her face, body, good skin. It will also be
possible for them to reproduce themselves avoiding the periods of childhood,
adolescence, as well as education. It will not be possible to destroy an
artificial person with any kind of weapons, since it will be possible to copy
the information of his mind and then keep it separately.
I have received tons of responses and comments since my first articles about this subject were
published in 1994. Below I will try to answer the most important ones of them.
ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа
Human Soul
A lot of people, especially those, who believe in God, are certain that a
biological human being has a soul. This is something that an artificial man
will never have. No person can explain the meaning of the word Уsoul.Ф They
just keep saying that a human soul is not material, and that it leaves a
personТs body after death and flies either to paradise or to hell. LetТs try to
analyze the notion of a soul from the scientific point of view.
First of all, a soul is supposed to remember its past life, its relatives and
friends. It is also supposed to preserve its emotions to them, to care about
them and recognize them, when they come to heaven. No one would need a soul
that does not remember anything. This means that a soul is a human being
without a body. In other words, a soul is the information that is kept in a
human mind - his memories, knowledge, skills, habits, conduct programs, emotions
and feelings, ides and thoughts, and so on. If we learn how to move this
information onto other carriers, we will be able to move a personТs soul to
other bubbles and to keep it there for an unrestricted period of time. As it is
well known, information is virtual, i.e. it satisfies another human soul
feature Ц a non-material quality.
ManТs new bubbles can be both artificial and biological. A soul (a complex of
knowledge and information) can be rewritten into a clone of that same person.
To put it otherwise, a person will live forever biologically as well, moving
from old bubbles to new ones. It would be also possible to move a soul to
artificial bodies, which possess all those qualities that we mentioned above.
Furthermore, information (a soul) could be radiated in the form of
electromagnetic waves. These waves can be spread in the universe at the light
speed. They can travel around the universe for thousands of years, reaching its
most distant parts. People see the star light that was radiated millions of
years ago. This means that our immaterial soul can live in the universe in the
form of electromagnetic radiation and then revive in millions of years.
Some of my readers wrote that an old brain can go corrupt and die, when moving
a human soul from one body to another one. If it does not go corrupt, this
inner self will die anyway, when an old biological bubble is not able to
function normally anymore. Let us try to find out, what that inner self is. The
majority of people identify their inner selves with their own bodies. I believe
that the inner self is the information, which is kept in our mind. It is our
soul. Every day we go to sleep. However, our brain does not stop working at
night. Every time we wake up, we have our inner self changed. We УdieФ when we
fall asleep and then УresurrectФ when we wake up. This means that recording the
information from a human brain will mean nothing but moving it to another
bubble.
ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа
Heaven on Earth
A reporter from the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty (Arguments and
Facts) sent me the following letter:
УDear Mr. Bolonkin. Needless to mention that it is great to live forever.
However, I have a question, which you can guess from a well-known Soviet joke.
УA guy is going to join the communist party. A committee asks him:
- Will you stop drinking?
- Yes, I will.
- Will you quit smoking?
- Yes I will.
- Will you stop loving other women?
- Yes, I will.
- Will you die for the Communist Party of the
- Yes, I will. To hell with this life.Ф
Here is my answer:
УYou do not need to worry that living in an electronic form will be dull and
boring. It is vice versa, actually. When the information will be recorded onto
other carriers, all human emotions, feelings and so on will also be carried
over and preserved. In addition to that, the copies of certain emotions,
pleasures, fears and so forth will be possible to record separately. After
that, those separately recorded emotions and feelings can be given or sold to
other people. Other e-men will have an opportunity to enjoy sex with a beauty
queen, to experience the enjoyment of a sports victory, to take pleasure of
power and the like. All modern art is based on artistsТ aspiration to transcend
their emotions, to make other people feel, what characters feel. Those works of
art, which make that happen best, are considered to be outstanding and great.
Electronic people will get those emotions directly. To crown it all, it will be
possible to intensify those emotions, as we intensify a singerТs voice now.
Electronic people will have a huge world of all kinds of pleasures; it will be
possible to know, what a dictator or an animal feels. I think that an e-manТs
pleasure time will be limited legally, for the civilizationТs progress will
stop otherwise. For the time being, the authorities prohibit drug addiction in
order not to let the society degrade.Ф
A soulТs living in such a virtual world will have all pleasures imaginable. It
will be like living in paradise, as all religions see it. Computer chips of our
time possess the frequency of more than two billion hertz. However, a human
brain reacts to a change of environment only in one-twentieth of a second. This
means that one year of life on Earth is equal to 100 million years of a soulТs
living in the virtual world (paradise). Living in the virtual world will not be
distinguishable from the real life. It will have a lot more advantages: you
will have an opportunity to choose a palace to live in, you will have
everything that you might wish for. Yet, living in hell also becomes real.
There is a hope that the ability to keep souls alive will be achieved by
highly-civilized countries first. In this case they will prohibit torturing
sinners, as they prohibit torturing criminals nowadays. Furthermore, criminal
investigations will be simplified a lot, judicial mistakes will be excluded. It
will be possible to access a soulТs consciousness and see every little detail
of this or that action. Sooner or later religious teachings about soul, heaven
and hell will become real. However, all that will be created by man.
The so-called end of the world will also have a chance to become real, though.
The religious interpretation of this notion implies the end of existence for
all biological people (moving all souls onto artificial carriers, either to
heaven or to hell). However, in difference to religious predictions, this
process is going to be gradual.
аааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа The Supreme Mind and MankindТs Existence
I set forth an idea in my first publications that the goal of the mankindТs
existence is to create the Supreme Mind and to keep this Mind forever, no
matter what might happen in the universe. The biological mankind is only a
small step on the way to the creation of the Supreme Mind. The nature found a
very good way to create the Supreme Mind: it decided to create a week and
imperfect biological mind at first. It took the nature millions of years to do
that. The twentieth century was a very remarkable period in the history of the
humanity. There has been incredible progress achieved, like never before. The
scientific and the technological level of the humanity became sufficient for
the creation of the artificial intelligence. This will be the first level of
the Supreme Mind, when the human mind will make a step towards immortality. At
present moment we stand on the edge of this process. It is obvious that
biological people will not be able to compete with e-men by the end of this period.
Common people will not be able to learn the knowledge that electronic people
will get. The new cyberworld will be the only way for a human mind to survive.
Feeble and unstable biological elements in a mind carrier or in its bubble will
reduce its abilities and capacities a lot. If a common person will be willing
to become a cyberman, then this cyberman will be more willing to get rid of all
biological elements in his system and become like everyone. For example, there
are no people in our present society, who would agree to become a monkey again.
The Supreme Mind will eventually reach immense power. It will be able to move
all over the universe, to control and use its laws. It will become God, if the
notion of God implies something that knows and does everything. In other words,
Man will become God. Yet, it does not mean that this will be the time, when the
Supreme Mind will start dealing with human problems. For instance, ants and
people have a common ancestor. A human being is God against ants. A man can
destroy a huge city of ants (an anthill, in which hundreds of thousands of ants
live) just with one kick. Ants will perceive this as an immense natural
disaster, since they can see at the distance of only one centimeter. I do not
know anyone, who would deal with charitable activities for ants. Everything
that a man can do is to bring ants to a deserted island and give them an
opportunity to reproduce themselves.
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A lot of people will say that it is just a fantasy. This is a very convenient
way to cast all that aside, until it starts happening. This is exactly what
happened before the invention of a plane or a computer. It took 50 years to
increase computerТs memory 100 million times. It would be possible to start
working on the creation of the Supreme Mind, if there were a computer that
would be capable of running a thousand billion of operations during only one
second. In 1994 I said that such a super computer will be invented in the year
2000. I was wrong, for it appeared at the end of 1998. There is also a need of
a self-developing program that would be capable of adjusting itself to
constantly-changing circumstances. A human child does not develop and grow at
once. A child has to study for about 20 years, to learn from his parents and
friends, to have relations with nature and other people in order to gain more
and more experience, to come to realization of his or her inner self.
Unfortunately, the science of the artificial intelligence has chosen a wrong
way of its development from the very start. Scientists tried to develop
programs, which would react to certain external signals. In other words, people
started working on robots that would cope with certain problems. A lot of
efforts have been spent to discover the peculiarities of human speech, for
instance. Some of those scientific works are absolutely no use for the
electronic mind. It is easier for e-men to communicate with the help of their
own electronic language, to recognize objects not by their images, but by way
of measuring their speed, weight, composition and so on. All of that can be
done at a distance. Biologists and physicists have spent decades for those
useless works. They believe that one should study brain activities, find out
the way it works and thinks. Then it would be time for modeling it with the
help of a computer. This is a wrong way to go as well. A human brain is very
complicated, it is very hard to study its activities. More importantly, even if
we learn how it works, it would not mean that the method would be good for a
computer. Here are some examples to prove it. Hundreds of years ago people were
longing to learn how to fly. They saw that bird waved its wings for flying, so
they tried to model such wings, to wave them, and to take off. However, people
could fly up into the sky only when they developed still wings and propellers.
A waving wing was absolutely not good for technology, the same way as a
propeller is not good for the wild nature. In addition to that, planes with
still wings fly a lot faster than birds. Another example: ancient people always
wanted to run as fast as four-legged animals. Now everyone knows that no one
uses machines that would move with the help of legs. Legs were changed with
wheels Ц something that has never been used by the natural world.
In 1998 I suggested people should lay new principles as the foundation of
artificial intelligence program. Those principles would be: to realize the goal
of existence, to study the environment (everything that goes separately from
the Уinner selfФ), to model environment, to predict actionsТ results, to
counteract with the environment in order to achieve temporal and global goals,
to correct modeled environment, actions and their results according to the
results of such counteraction. Unfortunately, I had to deal with the fact that
everyone refused to realize and understand those principles. First of all,
everyone believed that since the Уvirtual egoФ does not have a human body, it
would never have any rights. They said that it would be possible to control
such an e-man completely and then to kill him (erase his soul from the computer
memory). I wonder, what they would do, if they were offered to kill their
relativesТ souls that way? People link their body and soul together, and there
is no way around that. They are ready to struggle for the rights of every
living being, but they never want to accept the rights of a program or of a
computer memory. Second of all, people want an artificial intelligence to give
smart answers to their questions that can be rather stupid at times. They do
not need smart answers from babies. They are always ready to stand all stupid
things that children do for years. Instead, they try to teach them everything.
Yet, they want a new artificial mind to give bright answers without any
education. To crown it all, people want a computer to speak their human
language, which is absolutely alien for a machine. Can you imagine that a
person will have to answer the questions of an alien in MayaТs language? LetТs
assume that a representative of an electronic civilization came to planet Earth
in order to find out, if there are reasonable creatures living on it. This
e-man suggested a common biological man to multiply 53758210967 by 146, then
divide it by 50, deduct 968321 from it and calculate the hyperbolic sine. A
computer would give the correct result of this sum in less than a second. A man
would spend really a long time on that, making numerous mistakes. However, it
would not be correct to say that a computer is smart and a man isnТt.
Religious figures show a strong resistance to these ideas. It stands the reason
that they all think that the creation of the Supreme Mind, immortality ideas
are blasphemous. Unfortunately, the church has already blocked such decisions
as human cloning, increasing the productivity of plants by means of changing
their genes. It should be mentioned here that human cloning does not solve the
questions of immortality. A clone is a copy of its biological bubble. A clone
inherits the biological advantages of a bubble, for example, a singerТs fine
voice, an athleteТs strength and the like. A clone will never inherit itsТ
copyТs soul. Therefore, human cloning is only an illusion of immortality. It can
be a wonderful way to improve the biological bubble of a human being. Moving a
human soul onto other carriers is a very complicated issue. People learned to
see, which brain areas get activated, when a person remembers something, or
tries to solve this or that question. We also learned to penetrate into certain
neurons and record their impulses. To my mind, physiologists chose a wrong way
here as well, when they tried to model brain activities. A human brain is an
analogue of a huge state with a ten billion strong population. There is no use
to ask each citizen of that country, what he or she is doing at the moment. One
has to copy the database of this state, in order to copy its work. The easiest
way to do so is to penetrate into informational channels of its supreme body
(the УgovernmentФ), on the inquiry of which the brain presents any information
and allows to record its data on a disk, for instance. It is possible to do
that, for the supreme brain area constantly extracts the necessary knowledge
and programs according to our activities. So, we would need to send
Уintelligent officersФ to the brain so that they could get a copy of this state
or get connected to its major information channels.
Another way to do that is to record all incoming and outgoing information,
which comes to/from a person, to record his or her emotions and reactions. An
English-speaking reader, who reviewed one of my English articles once told me:
УYour English is not perfect. You should find an English-speaking co-author. It
is better to have a half of a pie than nothing at all.Ф
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I do not doubt that the electronic civilization era, the era of the Supreme
Mind and immortality will be achieved sooner or later. Those people, who have
little in common with science, are drawn to believe that everything depends on
scientists. They think that scientists can solve any problem, if they deal with
it profoundly. As a matter of fact, everything depends on state and military
officials. Sometimes, they know nothing of scientific perspectives and
innovations. Scientists are like qualified workers. They need to get paid, they
need to work with fine equipment. They will work only if they are get paid for
it. Even if a scientist will have a wish to do something perspective during his
free time, he will have no necessary equipment for that. Even such powerful
companies as IBM, Boeing, Ford and others are interested only in the applied
research, which does not require large investments. The major goal of such
research is to give a maximum profit to this or that company. A fundamental
research, the discoveries that are important for the whole humanity, not just
for a company, might be of interest to a bright government. It goes without
saying that a bright government is so hard to find. Every government is
interested in the military power of its country. It is ready to fund defense
technology works and military innovations. Von Braun convinced Hitler of real
perspectives for missiles, WWII was followed with an arm race. This eventually
led to space achievements and other kinds of technical progress of the
humanity. The
A certain hope has appeared recently. As experience shows, unmanned planes are
a lot cheaper than piloted warplanes. More importantly, unmanned plane crashes
do not cause harsh public reactions in civilized countries as pilotsТ or
soldiersТ deaths. The Americans design such planes successfully, but the planes
are controlled by an operator within the
I suggested the hierarchical structure of an artificial intelligence, on the
ground of which the real brain probably works. Let us imagine a state with a
dictator at the head. A dictator would never be able to find efficient
solutions for external and internal state problems. A dictator has ministries,
which are then divided into divisions and departments. This forms a pyramid, in
which all departments have their own databases, as well as the access to the
common base. All divisions are busy with their particular problems, in
accordance with the dictatorТs ideology. A dictator only sets problems up,
while adequate divisions suggest solutions. For example, a man decides to cross
a road with a heavy traffic. He looks at the road, while adequate parts of his
brain automatically receive the information about the width of the road, the
distance to nearest cars, their speed, and so on. The brain automatically makes
adequate calculations, which eventually lead to the final decision: when it is
safe to cross the road. All kinds of enlightenment in the solution of a problem
are simply considered to be the Уhelp from above.Ф However, this is nothing,
but the joint work of that pyramid. Human beings do not even know that such a
pyramid exists. PyramidТs decisions are based on the knowledge of a certain
individual. If an individual knows absolutely nothing about the quantum theory,
he will never solve any of its problems. Therefore, an artificial intelligence
of a high level cannot be realized with a personal computer that has only one
chip and a successive work order.
My scheme stipulates the distribution of functions between parallel chips. The
top one of them is offered to deal only with solution variants, their estimation
and choice.
Every human being wants to extend his or her life. This can be seen from
everyoneТs wish to have children, or to do something outstanding. It is simply
enough to avoid danger sometimes. Even suicidal terrorists believe that they
will go to heaven, when they kill themselves. The most important problem that
the humanity has is the problem of immortality. Let us hope that it will be
solved in the future.
Alexander Bolonkin, January, 2000.
Doctor of Technical (Cybernetics) Science
Senior Researcher of NRC at Eglin AFB,
Former
Senior Researcher of NASA and professor of NJIT
1310 Avenue
R, #F-6,
аTel/Fax 718-339-4563
E-mail: aBolonkin@juno.com,а http://Bolonkin.narod.ru
Alexander Bolonkin worked at aircraft construction companies in
In the United states Alexander Bolonkin worked as a professor in several
American universities, he worked at US Air Force research centers, at NASA. At
present moment he works on the development of smart unmanned planes,
non-rocketed flight to Space. Nine of his reports have been approved by the
World Space Congress of 2002.
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References:
1. Bolonkin A.A., The twenty-first century: the advent
of the non-biologicalа civilization and
the future of the human race,ааааа
Kybernetes, Vol.28,ааа No3,1999, pp.325-334,
MCB University Press, 0368-492X (English).
2. Bolonkin A.A., Twenty-fist century
Ц the beginning of human immortality, Journal УKybernetesФ, Vol.33, Mo. 9/10,
2004, pp.1535-1542, Emerald Press, www.emeraldinsight.com/ISSN
036-492X.htm (English)
3. Bolonkin A.A., Our children may
be a last people generation, Literary
newspaper,
4. Bolonkin A.A., Stop the Earth. I
step off. People Newspaper,
Sept.,1995.
5. Bolonkin
A.A., End of Humanity, but not End of World. New Russian Word,
Article Breakthrough English 4 after Klein 12 18 04
Dr.
Sci. Alexander Bolonkin
Senior Researcher,
University Professor
December, 2003
Breakthrough to Immortality
аа
The author
offers a new method for re-writing the human brain on electronic chips. This
method allows for the modeling of a human soul in order to achieve immortality.
This method does not damage the brain but works to extend and enhance it.
1.
Brief description of previous works
by the author.
а
In a series of earlier articles (see referenced
list at the end) the author shows that the purpose of Nature is to create Super
Intelligence (SI).а With its ability to
understand the Universe, advanced entities with SI Power will be able to
survive major cataclysms. There is the Law of Increasing Complexity (in
opposition to the Entropy Law Ц increasing chaos). This Law created biological
intelligence (people). Human have since became a sovereign entity on the Earth
and in Nature above all other creatures.
аа
However, humans are just as mortal as any other
biological creature. The human brain and body include albumen, molecules containing
tens of thousands of atoms united by weak molecular connections. A change of
only a few degrees in temperature results in death. The human biological brain
and body require food, water, oxygen, dwelling, good temperature and
environment in order to survive. These conditions are absent on most other
planets. This makes it difficult for humans to explore Space or settle on other
planets. Humanity losses valuable information (human experience) with old age
and death, and humans invest considerable time and money toward raising and
teaching children.
2.а Electronic Immortality. Advantages
of Electronic Existence.
а
In earlier works the author has shown that the
problem of immortality can be solved only by changing the biological human into
an artificial form. Such an immortal person made of chips and super-solid
material (the e-man, as was called in earlier articles) will have incredible
advantages in comparison to conventional people. An E-man will need no food, no
dwelling, no air, no sleep, no rest, and no ecologically pure environment. His
brain will work from radio-isotopic batteries (which will work for decades) and
muscles that will work on small nuclear engines. Such a being will be able to
travel into space and walk on the sea floor with no aqualungs. He will change
his face and figure. He will have super-human strength and communicate easily over
long distances to gain vast amounts of knowledge in seconds (by re-writing his
brain). His mental abilities and capacities will increase millions of times. It
will be possible for such a person to travel huge distances at the speed of
light. The information of one person like this could be transported to other
planets with a laser beam and then placed in a new body.
Such people will not be awkward robots as in
the movies. An artificial person will have the opportunity to choose his or her
face, body and skin. It will also be possible for them to reproduce and then
avoid any period of adolescence including the need for education. It will be
impossible to destroy this entity with any kind of weapons, since it will be
possible to copy the information of their minds and than keep such information
backed up in separate distant locations.а
As was written in the science fiction book, УThe Price of ImmortalityФ, by Igor Getmansky (
3. What are Men and Intelligent Beings?
All intelligent creatures have two main
components: 1. Information about
their environment, about their experience of interacting with nature, people,
society (soul) and 2. Capsule (shell),
where this information is located (biological brain, body). The capsule
supports existence and stores information and programs for all of its
operations. The capsule also allows the creature to acquire different sensory
information (eyes, ear, nose, tongue and touch) and it moves to different
locations in order to interact with the environment.
The main component of an intelligent being is
information (soul). The experiences and knowledge accumulated in the soul
allows the entity to interact more efficiently in nature in order to survive.
If the being has more information and better operational programs (ability to
find good solutions), then it is more likely thrive.
For an intelligent being to save its soul it
must solve the problem of individual immortality. Currently man creates a soul
for himself by acquiring knowledge from parents, educational systems,
employment and life experiences. When he dies, most knowledge is lost except
for a very small part which is left through works, children and apprentices.
Billions of people have lived on Earth, however, we know comparatively little
about ancient history. Only after the invention of written language did people
have the capacity to easily save knowledge and pass it on to the next
generation.
As discussed earlier, the biological storage
(human brain) of our soul (information) is unreliable. The brain is difficult
to maintain and requires food, lodging, clothes, a good environment and
education, etc. To support the brain and body, humans spend about 99% of their
time and energy, and eventually what knowledge is gained is taken to the grave
in death.
There is only one solution to this problem Ц
re-write all of the brain information (our soul) in more strongly based
storage. We must also give the soul the possibility to acquire and manipulate
information from the world.а This means
we must give sensors to the soul so it may have communication and contact with
people and other intelligent beings.а We
must give the soul a mobile system (for example, legs), systems for working
(hands), etc. thus giving the soul a new body in which to LIVE.
а
The reader may ask - these ideas seem
interesting, but how does one we re-write a human soul to live within a new
carrier, for example, in electronic chips?
4. The main problem with electronic immortality Ц re-writing brain
information (soul) to electronic chips is that itТs impossible to do this with
current technology.
а
At present scientists are working to solve this
problem. They know that the brain has about 15 billion neurons, and every
neuron has about ten connections to neighboring neurons. Neurons gain signals
from neighboring neurons, produce signals and then send these signals to others
neurons. As a result, humans are able to think and find solutions. On the bases
of this way of thinking, humans can come to solutions without exact data.
(Concepts of brain were described in my previous articles. For example, see
УLocate God in Computer-Internet NetworksФ or УScience, Soul, Heaven and
Supreme MindФ. See also my articles on the Internet and references at end of
this article.).
Scientists are learning how to take individual
neurons on micro-electrodes and record their impulses. The ideas of scientists
are very simple - study how single neurons and small neuronal network work and
then model them by computer. They hypothesize that if we can model 15 billion
neurons in a computer they will learn how the brain works, and then they will
have Artificial Intelligence equaling the human brain.
In my previous work I show this as a dead-end
direction for Human Immortality. ItТs true that weТll create an Artificial
Intelligence (AI) that will be more powerful than the human mind. However, it
will be HIS AI, and a NEW entity altogether. Our purpose is focused on
preserving the CONCRETE PERSON now (more exactly Ц his SOUL) in a new body in
order to achieve immortality.
ааа
Why is it impossible to directly write the
information of the human brain onto a chip? Because the human brain is
constantly changing and neurons permanently change their states. Imagine you
want to record the state of a working computer chip. The chip has millions of
logical elements which change their state millions of times per second. It is
obvious that if you write in series (one after other) the current state of the
chip (it is impossible to instantly write ALL states of the chipТs
elements).а To instantly write all
neurons one would need to insert a microelectrode into EVERY neuron, this would
destroy the human brain before the writing was complete.а
In the article УScience, Soul, Parade, and
Supreme MindФ I offered another method for the solution of the Main Problem of
Immortality.
5. Modeling of Soul for a concrete person.
As said, straight re-writing of a human mind
(human soul) to chips is very complex. Straight re-writing is not possible in
the near future. All scientific works studying the work of human brains at the
present time are useless for the main problem of immortality. They are also
unworkable for the problem of artificial intelligence (AI) in the near term,
because the brain solves problems by way of general estimations. AI solves
problems based on more exact computation and logical data.
To solve the Main Problem of Immortality (MPI)
the author offers a method of УMODELLING SOULФ of a concrete person. This
method does not require interventions
into the brain of a given person. This method may be applied IMMEDIATELY at
the present time. But an accurate modeling is needed depending on the modeling
period.
Before describing this method, let us analyze
the human soul and what components are important for each person and his
environment.а All information in the
human brain (soul) may be separated in two unequal groups: 1. the Memory (permanent knowledge) about the
personТs life (all that has been seen, heard, made, felt, people which he has
met, his (her) behaviors, opinions, wishes, dreams, programs of activity,
etc.), environment, and 2. Methods
of processing this information, i.e. producing new solutions and new behaviors
based on this knowledge.
The first part (knowledge) is very large. It
fills most of the memory and remains relatively constant (you remember your
life, history and you can only fill it by what was in the past). The second
part (methods for deciding, producing solutions based in your knowledge) is
relatively small and constantly changing because of new information, facts and
life experiences.
However, the most important part of a human
soul can be written without any problem now. Industry is producing cheap
micro-video recorders as small as a penny, microphones at grain size, and
micro-sensors for vital signs (breathing, palpitation, blood pressure, skin
resistance, perspiration, movement of body parts, etc.). These measurements
allow for easy recording of not only the physical state, but of his moral state
(joy, pleasure, grief, trouble, anxiety, nervousness, etc).а For example, lie detectors are able to define
not only the state of a man, but also the truth of his words.а Now we can measure and record brain commands
and we can produce small cards with four gigabytes of memory.
It would be easy to attach a video recorder and
microphone to a manТs forehead and then attach sensors to the body and record
all that he sees, hears, speaks, his feelings, reactions, and activity. And
then re-write this information into a personal hard drive (long-term memory of
high capacity storage) at the end of each day. As a result, there is a record
of the most important part our soul Ц history of life, feelings, environment,
behaviors and actions. This would be more detailed than what is captured by the
real man, because the humans forget many facts, feelings, emotions, and
personal interactions. The electronic memory would not forget anything in the
past. It would not forget any person or what they were doing.
But what about the second smaller part of the
human soul Ц producing solutions based on personal knowledge Ц perhaps asks the
meticulous reader.а
This could be restored by using past
information from the real man in similar situations. Moreover, an electronic
man could analyze more factors and data in order to throw-out and exclude
actions and emotions that happened under bad conditions. The electronic man
(named E-being in my previous works) would have a gigantic knowledge base and
could in a matter of second (write to his brain) produce the right answer, much
faster than his biological prototype. That means he would not have the need for
the second smaller part of memory.
Considering the environment and friends, the
following is an important part of a manТs soul: his relationship with parents,
children, family, kin, friends, known people, partners and enemies. This part
of his soul will be preserved more completely than even his prototype.
Temporary factors will not influence his relationship with his enemy and
friends as would happen with his former prototype.
There is one problem which may be troubling for
some: if we were to record every part of a personТs life, how do we keep
intimate moments a secret?а There are
(will be) ways to protect private information which could be adapted from
current usage, for example, the use of a password (known only by you).а Also there may be some moments you choose not
to record information or decide to delete the information from memory.а
The offered system may become an excellent tool
for defense again lies and false accusations. You may give the password in one
given moment of your life, which proves your alibi or absence from the
accusations.
Some people want to have better memory. Video
takes 95% of storage capacity, sound takes 4% and the rest takes 1%. In usual
situations, video can record only separate pictures, sound only when it
appears. This type of recording practice decreases the necessary memory by tens
of times. But every 1.5-2 years chip storage capacity doubles. There are
systems which will compress the information and then may select to record the
most important information (as is done in the human brain). During your life,
the possibility to record all information will be available for all
people.а This type of recording apparatus
will be widely available and inexpensive. ItТs possible now. The most advanced
video recorder or DVD writes more information than a CD.
This solution (recording of human souls) is
possible and must be solved quickly. By mass production (large productions) the
apparatus will become inexpensive. The price will drop to about
$300-1,000.а If we work quickly we can
begin recording and then more fully save our souls. The best solution is to
begin recording in children when they become aware of УIФ. But middle and older
people should not delay. Unrecorded life periods may be restored by pictures,
memories, notes, diaries and documents. Soul recovery will only be partial but
itТs better than nothing.аааааа ааааа
These records will also be useful in your daily
life. You can restore recorded parts of your life, images of people, relatives,
and then analyze and examine your actions for improvement.
6. Disadvantages of biological men and biological society.
People understand
аAs a
result, we see human history as a continuation of wars, dictatorships, and
repression of people by power. Dictators kill all dissidents and opponents.
Most people try to discriminate against opponents and play dirty against their
enemy. There are murders, rapes, violence, robbery, underhand actions, fraud,
and lying at all levels of society especially in lesser developed
countries.а Each person only cares for
himself and his family and does not care how his actions effect other people or
society.
Democratic countries try to cultivate a more
civilized society. They create laws, courts, and have police. Dictator regimes,
on the other hand, make only the law they want. I could give thousands of
examples to verify this concept. But hundreds of millions of people are killed
by war, aggressive campaigns, repressions, genocides, and thousands of
criminals in the everyday world are a good illustration of this.
The human brain allows us to reach great
success in science and technology. However, as a biological heritage, struggling
for his INDIVIDUAL existence in a bloody, dangerous world, humans spend much of
their resources on mutual extermination of intelligent beings. Moreover, humans
have created ever powerful weapons (for example, nuclear and hydrogen bombs),
which could wipe out humanity. In time, existence may depend on the volition of
one man Ц perhaps the dictator of a nuclear state.аа
The second significant drawback to the
biological body Ц is that it spends 99.99% of its effort and resources simply
to support existence.а Such as food,
lodgings, clothing, sex, entertainment, relaxation, environment, ecological
compatibility. Only a very small part is uses for scientific development and
new ideas and technology. The reader may see something wrong here.аа
States use a parentage of their revenue for
research into science and technology. This percent is used NOT for NEW ideas,
but is used to commercialize modern processes All research is included in the
state budget under the name, УScience and New TechnologyФ. But much of this
research has little relation to real new scientific progress. Even it the
Yet, science and technology has seen success.
Most advancement (90%) was made recently in the 20th century, when governments
started to finance a few scientific projects (compared with the millions of
years of human existence). However, our current knowledge and new technologies
are far from what we will eventually have. The first government of an
industrialized country to understand and realize the leading role of new
science and innovation will become powerful.
7. Electronic Society
а
а ааааааааа The
electronic society will be a society of clever electronic beings (or E-being,
as they named in my articles). Most of the reasons and stimulus which incite
men to crime, will be absent in E-beings. E-beings will not need food, shelter,
sex, money, or ecology, which are the main factors in crime. E-people will not
have intense infatuations or be distracted by behaviors, because they will have
vast knowledge about the open electronic society.а Their main work will be in science,
innovations, and technologies. They will save their mental capacity for the
production of chips and bodies, scientific devices, experimental equipments,
space ships and space station, etc. They will need a number of robots, which do
not need a big brain. It is likely they will award these robots better minds
and memory.а It is also likely that E-man
will unite in a common distributed hyper-brain, which will become a sovereign
of the Universe (God).
Nature is infinite and the development of a
Super Brain (God) will not be limited. On the other hand, biological people
will have limited mental capabilities. It will be difficult for them to image
and predict the development and activity of Super beings, which we will
generate.
Many, especially religious people, object
because they say electronic beings will not have human senses such as love,
sympathy, kindness, humanism, altruism, and the capacity to make mistakes, etc.
E-beings are not people. Look back at human history. Human history shows that
kindness played a very small role in human life. All human history is the
history of human vices and human blood: struggle for power, authority, impact,
money, riches, territory, and states. All human history is filled with fraud,
underhanded actions, and trickery. Ordinary people were only playthings, flock
of sheep for the tyrants and dictators.
ааааааааааа
Some people object that with an electronic face
humans will loss the joy of sex, alcohol, narcotics, appreciation of art,
beauty, nature, etc. My answer to this question is in my article УScience, Soul, Heaven, and Supreme MindФ
(http://Bolonkin.narod.ru).а The brief
answer is that electronic humans will enjoy all this in a virtual world or
virtual paradise. Time will run millions of times faster in the virtual World.
E-man will spend a few seconds of real time and live millions of years in the
paradise. He will enjoy any delight imaginable, include sex with any beautiful
women (or handsome men), feel the emotions of any commander, leader, criminal,
or even a dog.
8.
Biological humanity will be gradually
transformed to electronic beings. Old people, when their biological bodies can
not support their brains, will continue their existing in electronic bodies
after death. They will become young, handsome, robust, and. Fertility in
biological men will decrease. Birth-rates are less than death-rates in many
civilized countries now (for example in
а
For a time, biological and electronic people
will exist together. However the distance between their capabilities will
increase very quickly. Electronic people will reproduce (multiple) by coping,
learn instantly, and will not need food or dwellings. They will work full days
in any condition such as in space or on the ocean floor. They will gain new
knowledge in a short time. They will pass this knowledge on to others who do
not have enough time. The distance between biological and artificial intellects
will reach a wide margin so that biological people will not understand anything
about new science as monkeys do not understand multiplication now even after
much explanation.
а ааааааааа
It is obvious, clever people will see that
there will be a huge difference between the mental abilities of biological and
electronic entities. They will try to transfer into electronic form and the
ratio between biological and electronic entity will quickly change in
electronic favor. A small number of outliers will continue to live in their
biological body in special enclaves. They will not have industrial power or
higher education and will begin to degrade.
а ааааааааа Naysayers
may promote laws against transferring into an electronic man (as cloning is
forbidden now in some states). However, who would renounce immortality for
themselves, especially while they are young and healthy?а One may denounce immorality as blasphemy, but
when your (parents, wife, husband, children) die, especially if you are near
death yourself, one comes to understand that life is extremely important.а The possibility to live forever, to gain
knowledge that improves life, will also allow one to become a sovereign force
in the Universe.ааа
Dr. Sci., Professorа Alexander Bolonkin
Former Senior researcher of
NASA and Scientific Laboratories of the USA Air Forces.
References:
1. ааBolonkin A.A., The twenty-first century: the
advent of the non-biological civilization and the future of the human race,
Journal УKybernetesФ, Vol. 28, No.3,
1999, pp. 325-334, MCB University Press, 0368-492 (English).
2.
Bolonkin
A.A., Twenty-first century Ц the beginning of human immortality, Journal УKybernetesФ, Vol. 33, No.9/10, 2004, pp.
1535-1542, Emerald Press, www.emeraldinsight.com/ISSN
0368-492X.htm (English).
3.
Bolonkin
A.A., Science, Soul, Heaven and Supreme Mind, under publication.
4.
Personal
site: Bolonkin A.A., http://Bolonkin.narod.ru
5.
Bibliography
(about the author and discussing his ideas) publication in Russian press and
Internet in 1994а - 2004а (http://www.km.ru,
http://pravda.ru,а http://n-t.ru,
ets. Search: Bolonkin).
The above
article has been translated from a Russian article, УProriv v bessmertieФ
(Breakthrough in Immortality) (2003).
Acknowledgment
The author
thanks Mr. Bruce J. Klein for his help in editing this article.а
Address: Dr. A.Bolonkin
1310 Avenue R, #6-F,
Tel/Fax 718-339-4563
Statement to
Clinton English,bf, (Craig v2.0)
An Open Statement
To the President of the
And to the Presidents and Prime Ministers of all countries
About a scientific and technology jump in 21st Century
Honorable President Clinton and Honorable
Presidents of all Countries!
а We are entering into the 21st Century, when
huge scientific and technology innovations will occur. These innovations will
change individual lives as well as every nation. The Governments of the world
should seize the opportunity to control the process by which these future
innovations are developed for the benefit of their countries and their people.
World Governments should cooperate in the support and financing of common
international scientific programs that will have the most benefit to the
worldТs population.
а As the main aims and the important
International Programs of 21st Century I suggest for consideration the
following programs:
1) Program for Extending Life (Immortality)
This Program includes research into extending the life of the current
population, biotechnology development, gene engineering, and understanding the
structure and design of human DNA. The base for this research may be Program-50
created by an International group of scientists. The final aim of Program-50 is
extending the life of the current population and the reproduction of people who
lived till the immortality era.
2) Program of Artificial Intellect (AI)
Artificial Intellects may be the top scientists, consultants, assistants, and
advisers for Governments. This group would then work as the large intellectual
group to address the very complex problems of science, technology, economics,
and policy facing todayТs world. They will know the all knowledge of humanity
and will develop solutions to complex world problems. They will be
"accelerators" of the science, technology and economic progress for
the world and all of humanity (see articles in.
3) Program for Space Development
Support and resources for the International Space Station, a Moon base, planet
exploration, and the development of the global satellite communication network
should be a top-priority. The base of these programs may be the Space Launcher
of R&C Co. This system reduces Space delivery costs to $1-$2 per kg and
allows the delivery of 1000 tons of payload to Space an every day.
4) Program for controlling the EarthТs Climate
Weather and climate problems kill numerous people and destroy millions of
dollars of property. For example, the tornadoes kill and injure about 1500
people, and cause about 500 million dollars of property damage in the USA
annually. A program should be developed to save an environment. The film space
mirrors may be used for lighting, heating or cooling of regions of Earth,
watering of deserts, dissipation of tornadoes (see proposal of R&C Co.).
5) Physics, Energetic, chemistry, nanotechnology, new materials,
aviation, engineering and other sciences may give a big contribution in the
human development.
Honorable Mr. President! President John Kennedy brought forward the Apollo
Program, which placed the USA as the Space Leader. We call upon you to be an
initiator, and together with Presidents of other countries, to develop, plan,
and fund these International Programs to solve the most important Problems of
facing Humanity. It will be beautiful monument, once the International Programs
are initiated, for you and all world leaders who will support these objectives.
а The 21st Century must be the century of
peace, friendship, and cooperation for all countries. Let the International
Programs be the vehicle for making huge scientific, technology, and economics
progress, towards the elimination of "world" problems and the
creation of well being for all people of the Earth.
Alexander Bolonkin,
Dr.Sci., professor, and former Senior NASA Researcher
Fax/tel: 718-339-4563, USA; E-mail: aBolonkin@juno.com
аAddress: A. Bolonkin, 1310 Avenue R,
#6-F, Brooklyn, NY 11229 USA.
а This Statement is open for signature to
all leaders, scientists, political figures, businessmen, artists, leaders of
industry, universities, societies, organizations, and all people, who support
this Statement. Please, send copies of this Statement to all your friends and
persons who can support it.
а Your brief notes, proposals, and
suggestions (up to 200 words) regarding what "Programs" should be
included can be sent to the address above. All correspondence will be passed to
President Clinton. If the Government accepts your offer, you may take part in
more detail development of the proposed Program.
а You can also send this sign Statement
to: W.Clinton, President of the USA, 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20500, USA, Fax: 202-456-7431.
Discussion
From: Alex Chgirev
Dear Dr. Bolonkin,
а By chance,
only yesterday I have stumbled on your biography in Internet. Thank you for
your valuable scientific and humanity activity. It is wonderful that a such
interesting Russian people like you live and work in U.S!
а Now I live in
Rochester, NY, 33 West Squire Drive, Apt 4 - phone/fax 716 292 9642. A long
time I have been working for Russian space industry too, however never heard
about you in Russia before and it is really a pity.
а I have the
same Interests: Space, Applied Mathematics, Computers, Theory of Evolution. My
scientific achievements in these fields are much more modest than yours, but
there still exists the potential of years. Now I earn money as a web database
developer and continue to develop some space propulsion ideas appearing still
in Russia. Unfortunately, now I have nobody around me to discuss the ideas and
have unacceptable poor English to present them at a space conference in U.S.
ACME and NASA space conferences usually accept my abstracts, because I have a
fundamental physical and mathematical background, but I am not yet able to
present them properly and maybe time and proper people for the ideas is not yet
come at all.
а I guess you
have a Russian interface on your computer. I have been living in U.S. one year
only, that is why I feel more convenient to type in Russian.
End