IS AI THE END?

 

AI and CONSCIOUSNESS

I have been a student of mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, geology, and cosmology since 1951, earning several degrees, including a PhD in environmental engineering in 1988, and because of several spontaneous out-of-body experiences (OBEs) that occurred early in my life, I have also been a seeker of metaphysical knowledge, exploring the perennial philosophy of Aldous Huxley, the Rosicrucian Order (AMORC), Theosophy, Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Yoga, Jewish and Christian Mysticism, and Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) yoga meditation techniques.

I have practiced a form of pranayama (yogic life-force control) since 1960 as an initiate in the Kriya consciousness expansion techniques taught by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, and I have also been involved in consciousness studies with several well-known researchers in the field for the last 40 years. I have been a computer programmer, an actuarial mathematics technician, a mathematical modeler, and US Government systems analyst. I believe that this multi-field background provides me with a unique perspective from which to comment on artificial intelligence and the nature of consciousness.

With all of the concerns we are hearing today about AI computing machines, like their becoming conscious and taking over the world with the potential of destroying us, let me point out that you can only believe that such a thing is possible and that it might happen, if you not only don’t believe in God, but you also don’t believe that you have a soul. My discovery in 2011 of the indirectly measurable non-physical aspect of reality, now known as gimmel, existing in every atom of the universe, proved to me that, if man-made machines become conscious, they will do so only within the existing laws of nature, which are actually the physical manifestation of Primary Consciousness. i.e., the Mind of God, the substrate of all reality. So, let not your heart be troubled about AI! It is subject to the laws of the universe. Floods, fire, and atomic bombs have not destroyed us, and AI will not destroy us either. The Mind of God is the matrix from which all that exists arises; it is the only reality, and AI, like any other human artifact, is part of it.

In order to prove or disprove the existence or non-existence of God for myself, I have practiced Kriya Yoga techniques daily, for a little more than 63 years. I am happy to report to you that the Loving Omnipresence of God is real and that it is provable not only by personal experience, but also by the existence of quanta of gimmel. Without it, there would be no physical universe, no planet Earth, and no human beings. At present, artificial intelligence is only a poor imitation of the real thing, and it is subject to the laws of the universe. AI is already able to out-perform human beings in speed of computation, and algorithmic learning; but numerical calculation and finite memory are only small parts of intelligence, and they are merely tools of consciousness, not consciousness itself. Yes, AI, like sticks and stones, slings and arrows, guns and bombs, is capable of destroying us, if we are stupid enough to let it. But, the destruction of the humanity by AI would not be the triumph of a superior species of consciousness over us, it would just be the stupidity of suicide!

For more about this, go to my blogsite: www.ERCloseTPhysics.com .

THE FUTURE OF AI AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Diagram From Secrets of the Sacred Cube 

PRIMARY CONSCIOUSNESS. TRIADIC EXISTENCE, AND AI

It seems that there are an infinite number of things that keep presenting themselves while I am in deep sleep and/or in my daily meditations; ideas that linger for a while when I return to my normal waking state of consciousness, ideas that need to be written down before they fade away. Once one realizes that reality is one infinitely continuous self-referential whole, every thought becomes a thread in a fascinating mosaic, connected to everything else, or, as my research partner Dr. Vernon Neppe likes to put it: every aspect of reality revealed by the Triadic Dimensional Vortical paradigm (TDVP), matter, energy, or consciousness, is forever tethered to the whole.

In previous books, papers, and blogposts, we have explained how and why the discovery of the existence of the third form of reality, manifesting as mass, energy, and gimmel at the quantum level of reality, has critical physical and non-physical components. Part of the subatomic structure of reality has to be non-physical in order for any stable physical reality to exist, or even to form. Without gimmel, quarks could not combine symmetrically as protons, and no stable atom could ever form. Possessing no mass or energy, never the less, quantum units (TRUE) of gimmel organize the proton structure in a way that increases the total angular momentum which manifests as a significant part of the measurable structure and inertial mass of the proton.

The existence of non-physical gimmel as a pre-requisite for the formation of physical reality gives us the long-awaited answer to Leibniz’s all-important question of why there is something rather than nothing: Because non-physical gimmel had to exist before any physical origin event such as the hypothetical “big bang” was possible, gimmel was not created in any kind of physical origin event, nor can it be destroyed in the way that physical structures can. Thus, reality, based on the logical structure of gimmel, has no beginning or end, only dynamic changes of form.

The discovery of gimmel also proves that the structure of reality at the most basic level of existence is tertiary, not binary. Why is this important? Because it changes the way we must think about everything, especially when it comes to measurement and calculation of distance, time, mass, and energy. Understanding the triadic multi-dimensional volumetric union, or tethering of mass, energy, and gimmel in quantal reality, is crucial to understanding the true nature of reality at the quantum level, at the subatomic and atomic levels, and subsequently, at every other level.

The discovery of the quantized nature of mass, energy, and gimmel in physical reality, means that mathematical logic must be completely overhauled. The most basic a priori assumptions that relate geometry and physical reality and all of the fundamental operations must be re-defined to accommodate the multi-dimensional quantized and relativistic reality that we have known about for nearly 100 years. Does this mean that mainstream math and science is all wrong? No, of course not. But it does mean that the standard model needs to be purged of mathematical concepts that have no actual counterpart in reality. This brings up the problems with contemporary mathematical analysis of subatomic processes that create the famous “weirdness” of quantum mechanics.

Infinitesimal calculus, also known as Integral and differential calculus, widely used in science and engineering today, was developed by Newton and Leibniz over 300 years ago. Newton and Leibniz are generally recognized as the inventors of “the calculus” even though numerous thinkers developed some of the basic concepts of this calculus long before Newton and Leibniz, including earlier European mathematicians like Euler, Fermat, Cantor, Pascal, Descartes, and many others, all the way back to Greek mathematicians like Eudoxus and Archimedes, and ancient Arab, Indian, and Chinese thinkers.

The Infinitesimal calculus of Leibniz and Newton has been so successful in engineering and physics applications over the past 300 years, that even now, it is still called “the calculus”, even though it is only one of a number of logical  mathematical calculi that can be designed and applied in scientific analysis. According to information I received in the Great Pyramid and the ancient city of Petra in 2010, at the acme of the last high point of mental and spiritual virtue, 12,000 years before the last low point in this time cycle in 499 A.D., the average person alive on this planet at that time could carry out complex calculations mentally, using a variety of calculi and had no need for artificial intelligence (AI), electronics, or mechanistic physical technologies to interact with reality, for transportation, or communication.

The danger with AI, like with all technologies, comes when it outstrips the mental and spiritual virtue of its creators, because it can be used for good or evil. Unfortunately, AI has already far surpassed the ability of the average human being to perform extremely rapid calculations. Fortunately, calculation is only a small part of consciousness, and even if AI constructs may eventually become complex enough to receive consciousness, they will be receiving the same consciousness that enlivens human and other sentient beings.

A valid question arises: If conscious beings have enjoyed a higher level of physical well-being, mental virtue, and spiritual wisdom in the distant past, and we seem to be learning more about the nature of reality at an increasing rate as time goes on, why does civilization seem to be teetering on the brink of self-destruction again? Why do we seem to be losing ground mentally and spiritually as a species? The answer lies in the nature of consciousness, and the duality of physical reality.

Because of freewill, ego, and forgetfulness, some of us don’t learn from past mistakes in a timely manner and arrogantly put many in danger by trying to play the role of master and controller of others without the requisite wisdom.

Fortunately, there is evidence that the negative aspects of duality necessary to maintain the existence of a physical reality for spiritual evolution can never overwhelm the positive, because in the final analysis, consciousness and its positive manifestations have always existed and will always exist, because evil is simply the temporary localized absence of good, in the same way that darkness is the absence of light. As the light increases, the darkness will disappear.

ERC – 6/11/22

CAN A MACHINE BE CONSCIOUS?

THE SINGULARITY, A Short Story

Dan was very excited. This was the day! All the conditions were now met! Today, the day that he and many others had anticipated for many years was about to be realized. Everyone in the Bio-psycho-physics lab gathered around a complex machine known as the A/E-2000. The A/E-2000 was the culmination of artificial intelligence technology developed by scientists and engineers from around the world over the past 100 years. A/E-2000 had all the complexity of the human brain and nervous system, everything scientists had determined necessary for a man-made machine to be conscious. But AE-2000 did not look like the human-copy androids of the science fiction movies of the past. They had realized that constructing a mechanical clone of ourselves unnecessarily complicated the project. So they had focused on the essentials in order to reach the goal sooner. The first conscious robot did not have to look like a human being. It looked more like what might happen if one combined some organs from an animal with a circuit board and a mechanical octopus. One of Dan’s less technical friends joked that they should have called it RK-2000, an acronym for ‘Road-kill-2000’.

Dan had been fascinated with the idea of artificial intelligence from the day he saw the movie “A.I.”, a sci-fi movie about an android named David who looked like an 11-year old boy. And when Dan read Ray Kurzweil’s book “The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology” the die was cast. He knew that he wanted to be one of the scientists who would realize Kurzweil’s vision. He had worked hard to get the kind of education he needed, and he had been successful. He was the lead scientist on the Singularity Project, and today was the day! Of course, there were religious kooks who questioned the wisdom of the Project: They accused Dan and his colleagues of “playing God”. When asked about this in a TV interview, Dan answered like most scientists of the day: “Being a scientist, I am, of course an atheist. There is no reason to bring outmoded religious fantasies into a scientific project like this.”

This was the moment they had anticipated. When they threw the switch, bringing the final electromagnetic pulse into the already throbbing mass of complex technology they affectionately called Adam/Eve 2000, it came to life. With the cameras rolling to record this historic moment, Dan said:

“Hello, A/E !”

A/E-2000’s amplifier hummed slightly and a vibrant voice replied:

“Hello Dan!”

“Describe for us how you feel.” Dan prompted.

After a slight pause, the voice said:

“Like I just woke from a long sleep! The last thing I remember was being in the hospital.”

“That’s impossible”, Dan replied, “We didn’t program a memory like that for you, A/E -“

There was another pause, as the camera-like eyes quickly surveyed the room and then swiveled back around to focus on Dan.

“Who’s this Aye-ee”. it said. “My name’s not ‘Aye-ee’, “I’M YOUR UNCLE FRED, YOU NINNY!”

WHAT IS TDVP?

IS TDVP A FOUR-LETTER WORD?

We sometimes get the question: “So, WHAT IS TDVP??? What does it mean? –In one simple sentence, please”!! TDVP is our (Close and Neppe) attempt to explain things in a way that will allow us to answer any question we may think of to ask. “Oh, then it’s a Theory of Everything, right?”

 Well, yes and no. If you mean it as physicists think of it, where everything is matter and energy in space-time, then yes, but if you mean a REAL theory of everything, then no. A theory of everything has to have everything in it, and since 1931, with the proof of Gӧdel’s Incompleteness Theorems, we’ve known that no consistent logical system is ever complete. If reality is a consistent logical system, which I believe is a self-evident fact, otherwise there could be no laws of nature, then there can never be a theory of everything. With all due respect to the super-intelligent logicians who have struggled with this question, talking about the logic of Boole, Turing machines and artificial intelligence, it is really quite simple: Anyone with a bright two or three-year-old, already knows this, because he/she has experienced some version of the following verbal exchange:

“Daddy, Mommy, why is the sky blue?”

Because air scatters blue light more than any other color, sweetheart.

“Why does air scatter blue?”

Because air is made up of certain things we call gasses.

“Why is air made of those things?”

(Here the parent’s answer may differ, depending upon his/her knowledge of atmospheric science and/or his/her belief system.)

Because of the way the world was made (or formed).

“Why was the world made that way?”

Because Nature (or God, take your pick) made it that way.

“Why did it (or he) make it that way?

Because …

And, as any parent knows, any subsequent answer whatsoever, will be met with another ‘Why?’ followed with another ‘because’, and another ‘why?’, ad infinitum.

To the true believer in materialism, TDVP may well be a four-letter word! But many people would like to know what it is; not in mathematical or scientific jargon, but in plain English. Just what do these four letters signify? Let me see if I can answer.

There can be many four-letter words with many different meanigs.

Using the formula for permutations (mathematicians’ fancy word for combinations with repetition allowed, e.g.: AARP, BARB, CROC, DADS. EKES, FOOF, GOGO, HAHA, IBID, JAZZ, KOOK, LULL, MAMA, etc.),  P = 26⁴ equals exactly 456,976 different four-letter combinations can be formed from the 26 letters of the English alphabet. However, not all of them are used as words. For example, ZQPR and XJOX are not words. Computer searches of English dictionaries reveal that there are around 5,000 four-letter words used in the English language. So, just using four-letter words, a lot of thoughts can be conveyed, with meanings as varied as the acceptable and pleasing softness of GOLD, to the unacceptable nastiness of TURD. Now, add to that four-letter acronyms that can stand for four different related ideas, and you may have an idea of the power that any four letters can have.

Notice that letters and combinations of letters are neutral and meaningless by themselves. It is not the words or acronyms, but the thoughts your mind associates with them that pleases or offends. Letters and words are just symbols that may serve to please or annoy, enlighten or confuse. So, when you see the four letters TDVP in my blog posts, are they meaningful or confusing? Obviously, TDVP is not a word, it’s an acronym, but what does it convey? does it help or annoy? Is it a golden key to understanding, or a repulsive turd?

So, what is TDVP?

It stands for the Triadic Dimensional Vortical Paradigm, where by ‘Triadic’ we mean three-fold. By ‘dimension’ we mean measurable extent. ‘Vortical’ means spinning, like a tornado or whirlpool; and ‘Paradigm’ means a logically structured pattern of symbols describing everything we know about reality at this point in time. In these blogs, as well as in a number of papers, books and articles, we have explained what we mean by triadic, dimensional, vortical and paradigm in great detail. But when is explaining enough?

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying: “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” In the case of relativity, he must have meant a six-year-old with an IQ of around 160 or above. And TDVP is an order of magnitude more complex that general relativity.

He also said: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”

It seems that it is a widespread characteristic of human nature to conflate, confuse and misunderstand.

But, somewhere between these two quotes, you’ll find the twenty-five-words-or-less definition of TDVP. Here’s my attempt:

TDVP is a shift from belief in scientific materialism to an understanding of reality that includes consciousness in the equations, and spirituality in the paradigm.

That’s  25 words believe it or not!

Einstein also said:

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

I choose the latter.

Edward R. Close 6/23/18

THE SINGULARITY

THE SINGULARITY, A SHORT STORY

© Edward R. Close, August 23, 2016

Dan was very excited. This was the day! All the conditions were now met! Today the goal that he and many others had anticipated for many years was about to be realized. Everyone in the Bio-psycho-physics lab gathered around a complex machine known as the A/E-1000. The A/E-1000 was the culmination of artificial intelligence technology developed by scientists and engineers from around the world over the past 100 years. A/E-1000 had all the complexity of the human brain and nervous system, everything scientists had determined necessary for a man-made machine to be conscious. But AE-1000 did not look like the human-copy androids of the science fiction movies of the past. They had realized that constructing a mechanical clone of ourselves unnecessarily complicated the project. So they had focused on the essentials in order to reach the goal sooner. 

The first conscious robot did not have to look like a human being. It looked more like what might happen if one combined all the parts of a human brain with a small machine. One of Dan’s less technical friends joked that they should have called it RL-1000, an acronym for ‘Road-kill-1000’.

Dan had been fascinated with the idea of artificial intelligence from the day he saw the movie “A.I.”, a sci-fi movie about an android named David who looked like an 11-year old boy. And when Dan read Ray Kurzweil’s book “The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology” the die was cast. He knew that he wanted to be one of the scientists who would realize Kurzweil’s vision. He had worked hard to get the kind of education he needed, and he had been successful. He was the lead scientist on the Singularity Project, and today was the day!

 Of course, there were religious kooks who questioned the wisdom of the Project: They accused Dan and his colleagues of “playing God”. When asked about this in a TV interview, Dan answered like most scientists of the day: “Being a scientist, I am, of course an atheist. There is no reason to bring outmoded religious fantasies into a scientific project like this.”

This was the moment they had anticipated. When they threw the switch, bringing the final electromagnetic pulse into the already throbbing mass of complex technology they affectionately called Adam/Eve 1000, it came to life. With the cameras rolling to record this historic moment, Dan took a deep breath, and said:

“Hello, A/E 1000!”

A/E-1000’s amplifier hummed slightly and a vibrant voice replied:

“Hello Dan!”

“Describe for us how you feel.” Dan prompted.

After a slight pause, the voice said:

“Like I just woke from a long sleep! The last thing I remember was being in the hospital.”

“That’s impossible”, Dan replied, “We didn’t program a memory for you, A/E -“

“My name’s not ‘Aye-ee’, the voice injected, “I’m your uncle Fred!”