It’s just a relatively simple, hardcoded input-output machine.
First, I am deeply fascinated by the effort you put into organizing the thoughts around this topic and writing these articles! Please accept my respect!
I haven't read through all the articles yet so you might have mentioned the following somewhere already: I can imagine the "hardcoding" coming from our gene, thus it is "programmed" through natural selection process during evolution. So, maybe the statement "no explicit goals for the future" needs to refine a little bit? I think the Steerin... (read more)
Thanks!
I think it’s important to distinguish
* (A) “this thing has explicit goals for the future”, versus
* (B) “this thing was designed to accomplish one or more goals”.
For example, I, Steve, qualify as (A) because I am a thing with explicit goals for the future—among many other things, I want my children to have a good life. Meanwhile, a sandwich qualifies as (B) but not (A). The sandwich was designed and built in order to accomplish one or more goals (to be yummy, to be nutritious, etc.), but the sandwich itself does not have explicit goals for the future. It’s just a sandwich. It’s not a goal-seeking agent. Do you see the difference?
(Confusingly, I am actually an example of both (A) and (B). I’m an example of (A) because I want my children to have a good life. I’m an example of (B) because I was designed by natural selection to have a high inclusive genetic fitness.)
Now, if you’re saying that the Steering Subsystem is an example of (B), then yes I agree, that’s absolutely true. What I was saying there was that it is NOT an example of (A). Do you see what I mean?
First, I am deeply fascinated by the effort you put into organizing the thoughts around this topic and writing these articles! Please accept my respect!
I haven't read through all the articles yet so you might have mentioned the following somewhere already: I can imagine the "hardcoding" coming from our gene, thus it is "programmed" through natural selection process during evolution. So, maybe the statement "no explicit goals for the future" needs to refine a little bit? I think the Steerin... (read more)