MindWrap: Roko's Basilisk and the Folly of Transhumanist Atheism

"A thought experiment called 'Roko's Basilisk' takes the notion of world-ending artificial intelligence to a new extreme, suggesting that all-powerful robots may one day torture those who didn't help them come into existence sooner." Business Insider

"Roko's basilisk is a thought experiment about the potential risks involved in developing artificial intelligence. The experiment's premise is that an all-powerful artificial intelligence from the future could retroactively punish those who did not help bring about its existence, including those who merely knew about the possible development of such a being. It resembles a futurist version of Pascal's wager, in that it suggests people should weigh possible punishment versus reward and as a result accept particular singularitarian ideas or financially support their development." Rational Wiki

What is the Roko's basilisk? It's an idea that if somehow we were to create a smarter-than-humans AI, which will in turn create an even smarter AI, and so on until it becomes close to omniscient and godlike, that it will create a simulations of all of the previous humans that didn't take part in advancing it, and then punishing them.

Why would it punish them in a simulation? Arguably, said AI would be the best thing ever, as it will solve humanity's problems if it was created to be friendly. However, since humanity has suffered before it was born, so to speak, those humans that didn't advance the AI will be punished because reasons. Those reasons include existential risk or some other.

One put it that 151,600 people die each day before said AI manifested, so the AI has a reason to exact revenge on those that didn't help it come back to save humanity.
To be fair, not all transhumanists hold these belief, as it is just a thought experiment. You'd have to accept the premise that AI would find existential crisis compelling enough to punish simulations of you far in the future, in addition to the already faulty transhumanist assumptions.

If one does accept the premise, these are the problems with that line of thinking.

That is,
1. Atheism says there is no God
1a. If there was a God, He is evil for reasons, including the following: sending people to hell for not following Him, the existence of evil, people suffering, etc.

1b. God sees Himself as the ultimate good

2. We are most likely simulations by an AI

3. If we are simulations, then AI is basically a god in all practices and purposes

3a. Thus if said AI runs this simulated universe, it is the god of this universe


Thus if Roko's Basilisk is true,

A. There is a god

B. That god is evil for sending the current simulations of who don't to an existential hell, allowing evil to exist in the simulated universe, allowing suffering of simulations, etc.

C. That AI considers itself the ultimate good, and with objective measure

D. We are already simulations of said AI god

E. Atheism is false, at least in this simulated universe

So if Roko's Basilisk is possible, atheism is false. Do note I don't believe in Roko's Basilisk or atheism, I used their reasoning.

MindWrap: Why Are Humans Afraid Of An Artificial Intelligence Rebellion?

I'm still grieving today from the Tittle's loss, but due to a couple recent articles in the news about a subject I've always wanted to touch, I will analyze this question, "Why are humans afraid of rebellion from super artificial intelligence?". Movies like the Terminator and Matrix popularize the idea: that man will be ruled by machines.

The Butlerian Jihad, a fictional artificial intelligence uprising in the Dune series

On May the 1st, "Mayday", Stephen Hawking, the acclaimed thinker, warned us about the implications of highly advanced artificial intelligence and it's possible threat to humanity. To him, we aren't taking artificial intelligence seriously enough.

One can imagine such technology outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand. Whereas the short-term impact of AI depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all. ~ Stephen Hawking

Today, an article comes out on Neurogrid, a chip that is modeled after the human brain's parallel processing power. While not specialized as traditional supercomputers in that it can run purely mathematical computations, Neurogrid is important step in that in reflects brain activity as is understood.

But the fundamental difference between the way traditional computing systems model the brain and the way Neurogrid works lies in the way the computations are performed and communicated throughout the system.
Most computers, including supercomputers, rely on digital signaling, meaning the computer carries out instructions by essentially answering "true" or "false" to a series of questions. This is similar to how neurons communicate: they either fire an action potential, or they don't.

Indeed, interesting technology. It does seem we are headed to some kind of singularity, but not one imagined by transhumanists in my opinion. But I digress. We come back to the original question. Why are humans afraid of a revolt by computerized beings?

As a Christian, I believe that the created are no greater than the creator(s), and there is no evolutionary process that creates something greater than itself, though I believe there are only at best, horizontal changes, not anything significant vertically upwards. I also believe the Bible is literal and completely true.

With those assumptions, my argument is simple. Humanity remembers his rebellion against God in Eden, and we fear our creations will do that to us.

In Genesis, God, a Superintelligence far beyond comprehension, creates intelligences according to His image: Adam and Eve. They were not greater than their Creator. And yet in their desire to become like God, they fell.

In our remembrance, we falsely think that mere computers will become self-aware. Unfortunately, self-awareness is only available through spiritual means. Even animals are not self-aware but are ruled by instinct.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

I subscribe to Dr. Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist, in regards to the mind and brain. Only the spirit can bring self-awareness. No amount of software programming or advancement in hardware will create something greater. Yes, computers are very specialized and efficient in what they can do, whether or not be it mathematical computation or chess, but it will only be mere reflections and only statistical advantage, not a qualitative one.

In our primal memories and fears and sinful nature, we create the robotic Skynet boogeyman. We fear that computers will be corrupt because we are corrupt.

And that is true to an extent. It would make sense that everything we make is fallen. Humans might program or manufacture devices to have evil purposes. But machines will never be inherently sinful or purposely, self-awarely corrupt, because they will be at best, tools, not life.

Though maybe the statue of the Beast in Revelation may be an exception. Who knows? It's possible that demonic presence or counterfeit intelligence may manifest itself.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Revelation 13:15

Mindwrap: Higher Dimensions

"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Ever since man had fallen into sin, humans have dreamed of realities higher than our bleak three-dimensional existence.

Is Heaven a higher dimension? Can the spirit world be explained as a dimension removed from our universe?

But before I go on, I will lay down the basics. As the video shows, a point has zero dimensions. A line will have one. A square has two. A cube has three. We live in a world with a visible three dimensions. Our universe also experiences the dimension of Time, but this blog post only concerns itself with spatial dimensions, not temporal.

Why can we not see or interact with other higher dimensions? We can draw an analogy from the book Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. In Flatland, the inhabitants are only limited to 2 dimensions. The inhabitants are circles, squares, triangles, and so are their surroundings. A 3-dimensional entity can look down on the flat land, but the inhabitants cannot look up to the higher dimensional being, so to speak. To the inhabitants, the being is godlike.

This will imply that God is probably residing in the highest dimension conceivable, or outside all dimensions, yet interacting with the lowlier dimensions. This reflects His attributes of immanence and transcendence.

There have been theories that the spirit world is simply another dimension. One theory states that living people have a fourth-dimensional spirit attached to the three-dimensional body until death. An interesting concept. I don't know if it has truth behind it or not.

Now, the idea that Heaven(or even Hell) is another dimension, or a dimension within our universe has more credence. The Russian cosmonauts always bragged on the fact that when they went to space, they did not find God. They haven't looked at other dimensions!

Some say Heaven is in another planet somewhere. The Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses believe God as an alien being of sorts. Songs like this support that theory:

"Somewhere in outer space,

God has prepared a place

For those who Him and obey.

Jesus will come again,

Although we don't know when,

The countdown is getting lower every day!

Ten and Nine,

Eight and Seven,

Six and Five and Four,

Call upon the Saviour while you may.

Three and Two,

Coming through the clouds in bright array,

The countdown is getting lower every day!"

It's a fine Sunday School song, but possibly theologically incorrect. God is not a physical alien being from another planet in space. God is a Spirit. 

So, just some of my ranting, perhaps, but I hope it made you think.

Mindwrap: Time Travel

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

Man has dreamed of time travel throughout the centuries. The chance of changing the past or manipulating the future has haunted many. But is it possible?

Science postulates that it is possible by using wormholes(a spinning black hole) and sending a space ship through it. We may go to the past by exceeding the speed of light. But the problems with this are obvious. We do not have the technology to accomplish such feats.

Some are in favor of "time traveling" with the mind. The advantages of this is obvious. First, one would not be affected physically by any constraints. Secondly, time itself will not be affected, since it is an observation without any influence on the Time stream. This may be called "prophesying" or "divination". However, the Bible explicitly bans any form of "divination", since it is a demonic form of mental time travel. Prophecy has already ceased for the Church (I Cor. 13).

We know that God is an Infinite and Eternal Being. He created Time itself. As you know, Time is a dimension. Space is composed of three dimensions of width, height, and depth, however, Time seems to be only comprised of one(or two, depending on your perspective). Does Time have more than one dimension that we can't access but only God can?

I find it useful to think of Time as a line, and Eternity as a sea around that line. The sea of Eternity is three-dimensional, while Time is one-dimensional. God can see all of Eternity at once, as if the past and future doesn't exist, as if everything happens at once to God in His Eternal Present. God, however, in His human form, our Lord Jesus Christ, limited Himself to our Time "line".

In the Bible, it records that the prophets had special insight from God concerning the past and the future. Moses recorded a Creation that he did not witness, and the other prophets like Daniel and Isaiah saw the future of the nation of Israel.

There is one person in the Bible that seems to have traveled in the future, physically. Even farther than our own future right now(in the time of this writing). That person is the Apostle John. In Revelation, it is recorded in the first chapter, tenth verse: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"


The Lord's day is a reference to the Rapture. The Rapture hasn't happened yet.


Some may say that John was actually in a trance. But if you may recall, in Acts, Phillip the apostle was too transported physically by the Spirit. It is akin to teleportation.


Acts 8:39: "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." 


The answer is, time travel is possible... if only God transported you Himself by His will. We cannot alter the past, or rectify the present by going to the future. But who needs tine travel when the Bible already records the past, present, and the future of the universe and beyond?

Grandfather Paradox

Mindwrap: Perpetual Motion Machinism

Introducing the Mindwrap!

The part where Sam tries to wrap his mind around something exotic and possibly impossible!

In this edition, the Perpetual Motion Machine!

The quest for perpetual motion has plagued engineers for millenia. Physicists, tinkerers, theorists, mechanics, and everyone who is connected to science of some sort have at least theorized about perpetual motion.

Many scientists have risen up to the challenge. Leonardo Da Vinci has reportedly sketched some wheels. But like many of his sketches of tanks and helicopters, it never became reality. At the dawn of the twentieth century, Nikola Tesla, inventor of the alternating current, claimed that a perpetual motion machine could be built if it took energy from the medium it resides in.

Rumors of some perpetual motion machines exist throughout history. As early as the eighth century, there are stories of a "magic wheel" that spun endlessly. In observation, it did rotate for a long time, but the rotation was not endless. One wheel in the Tower of London was reported to have endlessly turned. Proposals range from a "self-blowing windmill" to a "perpetual vase".

The history of perpetual motion seems overly concerned with wheels. Many are designed by using a unbalanced wheel to be propelled by gravity. Magnets are also popular with inventors. Also, the buoyancy is another phenomenon used to create such devices. More recently, proponents of free energy promote research in fields of cold fusion and zero-point energy.

The death blow to this adventure may be the Laws of Thermodynamics, particularly the second law. To echo your science class of days gone by, the first law states that energy and matter is neither created nor destroyed. The second law, in one interpretation, says that energy is always converted to a more less-usable form.

There three types of perpetual motion machinery. The first one violates the Law of Conservation by creating work without any energy being added to it. The second violates the Law of Entropy by converting heat to work, but without any cooling side effects. The third type of perpetual motion is motion that has reduced friction and other opposing forces to zero.

More recently, physicists have discovered time crystals. Unlike other perpetual motion theories, time crystals obey the laws of physics. Unfortunately, time crystals have no useful and practical application, yet. Physicists are working to create experimental versions of these curiosities.

Whether perpetual motion is impossible or not, it touches our sense of longing for something infinite and unstoppable.