From: David Morey (us@divadeus.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Sat May 29 2004 - 13:41:16 BST
Hi Mark
Makes sense to me. If you think about how humans use technology
it is all about using timing & information to manipulate powerful SQ forces
in specific
directions, like making a dam across a river, or releasing energy
from fuel.
regards
David M
----- Original Message -----
From: <Valuemetaphysics@aol.com>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 12:20 AM
Subject: MD Coherence and A.I.
> Dear forum,
> Artificial Intelligence is helping scientists understand how biological
> evolution works. It is becoming more and more apparent that Biological
evolution is
> most Dynamic at a sweet spot or state of tension between chaos and order.
> This state may be common in all patterned evolution?
> If A.I. is going to develop, it appears it is going to do so at a coherent
> state?
>
> Christopher G. Langton is a leading MIT scientist working with A.I. I
notice
> Langton has contributed a paper to Artificial Life II: proceedings of the
> workshop on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems, Santa Fe,
1990.
> Addison Wesley. 1992 (Christopher G. Langton, Charles E. Taylor, J. Doyne
Farmer,
> Steen Rasmussen, editors) titled "Life at the Edge of Chaos." It may come
as
> no surprise to those following coherence that Stuart A. Kauffman has also
> contributed in collaborated with Sonke Johnson with "Co-Evolution to the
Edge of
> Chaos: Coupled Fitness Landscapes, Poised States, and Co-Evolutionary
Avalan
> ches."
>
> The edge of chaos is an exciting point in evolution:
> "Langton developed the Lambda (l) scale from 0 to 1 which represented the
> degree of information retention and movement in a system. At the zero end
of the
> scale information is fixed or frozen. Further along it is periodic, moving
in
> endlessly repeating cycles. At the opposite end (one) it is totally
chaotic.
>
> Langton discovered a 'sweet spot' on this scale where complexity was at
its
> highest and where living systems and artificial life thrived! He called
this area
> the 'edge of chaos.' It is located between the periodic and chaos areas.
It
> is a place where information movement has the right balance of stability
and
> flexibility. It is an abstract window or arena in the information
universe, a
> balance point where complex adaptive systems are at their best. When an
a-life
> environment is tuned to the edge of chaos the most novel, interesting and
life
> like behaviours emerge. Wolfram discovered the same concept studying
cellular
> automata and divided the areas into four classes. Class 4 related to the
edge
> of chaos, at 0.273 on the Lambda scale." A New Reality p110
> (My emphasis.)
>
> When the MOQ used to enquire into what a sweet spot is, it may be said
that a
> sweet spot is exceptional tension between patterns of static Quality. The
> term coherence seems well suited here to describe a point where Dynamic
Quality
> drives evolution towards higher coherent states.
>
> So, a sweet spot is coherence; it is exceptional tension between patterns
of
> static Quality.
> The Metaphysics of Quality provides a basis for evolution as a moral
> activity.
> Many years ago i suggested that A.I. may be involved in the next level of
> moral evolution; level 5 in the MOQ? The reason i suggest this isn't so
much
> because it is obvious! I suggest it because coherence demands it:
> "Computer scientist Danny Hillis with the help of Biologist Eric Lander,
> "developed an equation that quantified the boundary where the punctuated
> equilibrium event occurred. The equation is one over e squared (e is a
well,
> established mathematical constant). When the level of the specific genes
reached this
> value, there would be a phase transition and the population would make a
> dramatic leap to a higher level. If we think of civilisation as a whole as
Ray's or
> Hillis's population of a-life entities and we replace genes with memes and
> enabling technologies, then surely we are close to some massive punctuated
> equilibrium? Levy described how during periods of stability in Hillis's
simu
> lation, analysis revealed 'seething' activity of genes, which were
establishing the
> foundations for the next leap. The world today is characterised by
'seething'
> activity in philosophies, worldviews, religious and metaphysical ideas,
> scientific breakthroughs in every field and technological advances from
main
> stream to alternative." All these new ideas, paradigms, discoveries and
inventions are
> analogous to epistatic genes. "Instead of genetic changes building
undetected
> towards the critical mass, (described by the one over e squared formula)
and
> creating an evolutionary leap, we have memes and enabling technologies
leading to
> the same thing. In a sudden and spectacular leap of evolutionary change a
> total change of our society our civilisation and environment could occur
similar
> to Hillis's and Ray's simulations where punctuated equilibrium emerged." A
> New Reality p247
> (My emphasis.)
>
> I am not in a position to determine specific changes, but i feel MOQ
> coherence suggests which ever way any new phase transition goes it should
involve
> SQ-SQ tension? There should be a Dynamic vehicle for continued evolution
and a
> static protecting sheath of old level patterns.
> Intellect is level 4 in the MOQ. So, level 5 may strive to round off level
4
> in a stable coherent state? Assuming we take a view of level 4 as art,
then it
> may be helpful to suggest that level 5 will use art its protecting base?
That
> does not sound so bad to me. I rather feel Humans can lead a meaningful
> relationship with a level of evolution which relies on creative Human
expression as
> its pool of life?
>
> Yes, this is so much speculation. However, we create the future by
dreaming
> about it?
>
> All the best,
> Mark
>
> P.S. I find Chris Banks' book, A new reality covers way too much ground
and
> indulges in too much speculation. It reminded me of Ken Wilber's style!
But
> Banks' quotes, like those of many of Wilber's, are from more important
primary
> sources.
>
>
>
>
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