The most radical thought experiments entertained by transhumanists often involve some reference to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Virtual Reality (VR), and can be classed as Extreme Simulation Scenarios (ESS). Such scenarios can be equal parts attractive and disturbing. They describe conditions of radical liberation from traditional human constraints, but also open up entirely new categories of potential risk. Evaluations of ESS frequently conflate assessments of promise, risk, technological credibility, and congruence with extant belief systems.
This presentation will disentangle the various threads within ESS evaluation as follows: (1) explaining key ESS concepts such as uploads, utility fog, and virtual autonomous zones; (2) describing the principal extreme simulation scenarios and their historical roots; (3) evaluating specific criticisms of ESS; and (4) considering the degree to which assessments of ESS are often a matter of opposed assumptions and worldviews rather than the unprejudiced examination of evidence.
This lecture was recorded on 11th of July 2009 at the UKH+ meeting. For information on further meetings please see: http://extrobritannia.blogspot.com/
This is the first part of the lecture. View the rest of the lecture here.
About the speaker: Amon Twyman is a cognitive scientist and artist based in London. His work within cognitive psychology at University College London has investigated the role of conscious awareness in decision making, and he has explored transhumanist themes as a member of electro-industrial band Xykogen.
