The Concept of Self
What distingushes me from everyone else in the world? What is the I which is me, what is it which
makes thee I 'me' and not someone else? Where was I before I was born? This is a very difficult concept to talk
about, because the discussion is so egocentric by the deffinition of the problem. In order to step back and look
at the problem we must first step back and define the problem.
Let us begin with a hypothetical robot has a very powerful computational ability. The first problem which presents itself is how do we program the computer to behave like a human being. At this point we must observe the difference in the behaviours of a computer and a human being. One of the major differences comes down to self satisfaction. A computer program must be written with an algorythm which seeks to satisfy its self in some way. The program must crave to satisfy its urges. It must have urges needing to be satisfied. It must go about trying different ways to satisfy its own desires. It must have desires.
Michael Forbush 6-8-98
More Life the Universe and Everything
