• Question: do you think dependancy on machines will eventually cause humans to evolve into a lesser race?

    Asked by mattheworgan to Arttu, Ceri, James_M, Monica, Philip on 13 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Philip Dolan

      Philip Dolan answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      I’m reading a book at the moment called ‘The Emperor’s New Mind’ by a fantastically smart guy called Roger Penrose. It’s all about why he thinks machines will never be able to ‘think’ like we do, no matter how complex they get. I haven’t gotten very far through it, but I’m guessing he’s going to say that classical computers can’t have any aspect of quantum information going on in them (otherwise they won’t work), and it is this ‘quantum information’ that allows us to have free thought, original ideas and ultimately the ability to prevail against time travelling robot assassins. With Austrian accents.

    • Photo: James M Monk

      James M Monk answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      “lesser race,” is quite a loaded term really. Race is not a scientific concept, but we can ask the question “will humans evolve to become a species that is less well adapted to survive compared to modern humans?” The answer has to be “no” because evolution ensures the survival of the fittest.

      So although a cockroach (say) is equally well adapted to survive as a human, subjectively people might think of a cockroach as a lesser species because it cannot do all of the amazing things that humans can. So perhaps the humans of the future will be less able than us to carry out and understand scientific research, compose music and create art and literature. Perhaps they will also be more vulnerable to sudden changes in their environment.

      I don’t know the answer to that, but I would hope that the process of evolution happens slowly enough that the short-term effects of technology are not noticeable. Humans pass on knowledge not only though genetics, but also through learning. Stone age humans are genetically no different to modern humans, but 10,000 years of learning means we are now capable of vastly more as a species. I think that in order for us to become a “lesser” species we would need forget those learnt abilities.

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