I’m not sure if robots or AI will ever replace humans.
The reason I think this is somewhat complicated and requires me to explain that I am Buddhist. Buddhism is probably the best known method of self-enquiry that has been worked out, and although it has been enshrined into various Buddhist religions, essentially it is not a religion at all, but a method to become happier or more content with your own life. So, with that as a starter:
Where is the mind?
It’s not in our brain. Scientists can’t actually find where our “mind” is. Sometimes one part of our brain is active, other times other parts. but our “mind” is in neither place. Cut one part out, and people can still function, still be conscious, still be aware. There is a girl in the US who has only one hemisphere of her brain, and functions perfectly well as a person. She has a little difficulty with certain areas, but her brain has adapted, and learned some of the left hemisphere functions with her right hemisphere. So clearly this undermines our ideas that the brain is our mind, or vice versa.
There are further conundrums when we look at how we perceive objects. We ‘think’ that we perceive the car we see to be “over there”, but where are we perceiving it? At the back of our heads, after the light bouncing off the car has hit our receptor cells and been converted into electrical impulses by the eye. So where is the car?? Is it in our brains?? That’s actually where we experience it, even though we are used to fooling ourselves that it’s “out there”.
Buddhism goes further – where do thoughts come from? Honestly, scientists don’t know. They think that they are random neurons firing and creating these thoughts, but that doesn’t explain completely new ideas and thoughts that originate out of seemingly nowhere, nor does it explain the continued functioning of our brain, our consciousness and our awareness at times when we have no thoughts at all. And if this seems odd, to have no thoughts at all, but still being highly conscious and aware, this actually happens very often, and is brought about by multiple scenarios, the most common being a shock. The shock interrupts the normal flow of thoughts, and leaves the mind blank, but still aware. Another good way is to get your friend to do the following:
In a quiet space, close your eyes, look at the back of your eyes, and have your friend ask you, “What’s the next thought?”
Your mind turns to look at itself, and goes blank in the process. For a split second, there are no thoughts at all.
Buddhists say that there is magic in this stillness of the mind, this state of no thoughts at all, while being critically aware and conscious, that it is the key to happiness, as there are no disturbing thoughts and therefore no disturbing emotions. It is a different kind of happiness to getting given a Ford Shelby for your Birthday, and different again from releasing your load b~~~~ deep into someone you love. It’s more…..Cosmic Netflix and Chill.
Robots and AI will never be able to follow this path, it is the Ultimate Red Pill. Yes, they may be designed to know more stuff, be able to work out what a Venn diagram is actually useful for, remember lots of Mangina things like when her BFF’s C~~~aspoodle’s Birthday is, or whether Pookie-is-mad-with-Billie-because-just-ugh-and-anyway-sparkly-things, but honestly, who cares?
Headstrong 4 years, 2 months ago.
