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Manfred comments on Is lossless information transfer possible? - Less Wrong Discussion

-8 Post author: kirpi 08 August 2012 08:02PM

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Tags: epistemology biology evolutionary

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Comment author: Manfred 08 August 2012 08:24:48PM 4 points [-]

I have a hypothesis that, the only thing at which human beings are "superior" to other organisms is that we can transfer information without a loss to other human beings.

Don't forget our baldness, two legs, and broad nails. Highly superior.

Two relevant LW posts: One Two

Comment author: kirpi 11 August 2012 11:05:45AM *  0 points [-]

Thank you for the direction. These articles seem to be the ones I were looking for. (Plato's work and Diogenes' answer is worth further investigation)

Human beings may not be that special. This search of mine may be futile, it being a remnant of my believer times (and I being raised in Eurasian soils).

Even so, "what is a human being" seems to be the right question to further investigate. I guess this will immediately be useful (if not already is) at information security: "is perfect authentication possible?" (with protection against rubber hose technique, or clones etc.)

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