[FRIAM] detritus from vFRIAM

[Roger Critchlow]

Or infer an entity as the answer to "who are we?"

-- rec --


On Fri, Jul 3, 2020 at 4:06 PM Prof David West <profwest at fastmail.fm> wrote:

> the self interest is maximizing my presence in the resource niche (memory,
> cycles). Just like an animal species, I want more of me in the environment
> than of others.
>
> We must "infer" an entity behind the observable behavior, the same way we
> infer an entity behind the behavior of an animal or human.
>
> davew
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 3, 2020, at 1:24 PM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
>
> Thanks, Dave,
>
>
>
> What is the self-interest that is being served in such a system. What is
> the entity that “has” the interest.
>
>
>
> Or am I trapping myself in some stupid loop, here.
>
>
>
> n
>
>
>
> Nicholas Thompson
>
> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology
>
> Clark University
>
> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
>
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> *On Behalf Of *Prof David West
> *Sent:* Friday, July 3, 2020 1:19 PM
> *To:* friam at redfish.com
> *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] detritus from vFRIAM
>
>
>
> Nick,
>
>
>
> People write software that self-modifies, learns to shape current actions
> based on the results of prior actions, clones itself in order to maximize
> its share of some limited resource (memory or processor cycles) vis-a-vis
> competing software.
>
>
>
> This kind of software, once created and deployed, is entirely autonomous.
> Creators might send messages asking the software to execute a particular
> behavior, but such messages have no special status, they are just another
> part of the context to which the software responds. The field is called
> "evolutionary software."
>
>
>
> To me, this is an example of a system, that once deployed, is autonomous
> and acting on its own behalf. It is not aware of any "goals of the whole"
> only its own will to "thrive."
>
>
>
> Not sure if this satisfied your request.
>
>
>
> davew
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 3, 2020, at 1:06 PM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
>
> I tried to post this on the vFRIAM chat, but wouldn’t “take”, so I am
> posting it here:
>
>
>
> “Don't do this now, but …. as a favor to me, could you-guys devote some of
> your shaving time this week to the proposition: "No system ever acts on its
> own behalf."  My intuition is that whenever we investigate a system that
> appears to act in its own behalf, we will find that it is pursuing a goal
> that is short of the interest of the whole, but which will produce benefits
> to the whole because of some property of the world in which it acts.  I
> would love to hear a discussion among people trying to design *a system
> that acts on its own behalf*. Can someone come up with a simple example
> of such a system.”
>
>
>
> I grant you that the question is not clear.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Nick
>
>
>
> Nicholas Thompson
>
> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology
>
> Clark University
>
> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
>
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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