Are we almost Gods?

[HerCrazierHalf]

Advances in computers and AI means that a computer program that emulates sentience is only decades away. To that extent, if a virtual environment similar to but more complex than The Sims was created wouldn't that make the player god relative to characters?

From the characters' point of view the player exist outside of the in game universe, is very powerful, performs miracles, causes life, and is invisible unless he chooses to reveal himself. Various saved states could also provide a sense of all knowing by moving back and forth through time relative the in game universe.

What implications would the ability to create virtual life have I the real world?

 

[Tree of Life]

This is an interesting analogy for us and our relationship with our creator. I've also used the author/character model. Our relationship with God is like MacBeth's relationship with Shakespeare.

 

[quatona]

Advances in computers and AI means that a computer program that emulates sentience is only decades away. To that extent, if a virtual environment similar to but more complex than The Sims was created wouldn't that make the player god relative to characters?

From the characters' point of view the player exist outside of the in game universe, is very powerful, performs miracles, causes life, and is invisible unless he chooses to reveal himself. Various saved states could also provide a sense of all knowing by moving back and forth through time relative the in game universe.

What implications would the ability to create virtual life have I the real world?

The, to me, more interesting question: What implications would our ability to create virtual life have from the perspective of the virtual life?

 

[quatona]

This is an interesting analogy for us and our relationship with our creator. I've also used the author/character model. Our relationship with God is like MacBeth's relationship with Shakespeare.

Thankfully, Macbeth has no self-awareness.

 

[Noxot]

I don't think that makes us Gods as God is either God or he is not but in the relationship between creation and creator there is a kind of manifestation of God that is not possible without his creatures nor is this vision of 'God as creator' needed or possible without his creatures.

What implications would the ability to create virtual life have I the real world?

that is a loaded question. virtual life would need to have rights and not be abused. but we don't even give children the rights that they deserve yet and many parents know no other way of raising a child up but by some form of abuse. so I would say that since the human condition concerning proper morality is so far behind what it should be that the creation of virtual life would be a complete disaster if it occurred in our world because we often don't even treat animals or children or each other good enough ( in one way or another ).

ofc I would probably prefer to dwell with this virtual life because I would love to experience new forms of being and I would consider them to have a spirit/soul. it would be like discovering a new form of life! maybe in the future the dominate form of life could be mechanical with software ( ofc far more complex.) for all I know there are planets out there that have become completely robotic/technological and they explore the universe using their planet as a spaceship =) <3

it could totally change our entire universe! maybe it already happened. after all... some planets are so far away... we only see their distant past. how would we even determine the possibilities of progression by looking at something so far in the past?

for all I know there are entire galaxies of a collective virtual life that is constantly building itself more capacity to become more of what it is. imo... the lines between biological and technological mechanics is a very thin and blurred one. especially if you work from a quantum level upwards. I can only imagine the possibles of what "technology" would look like millions of years from now. it would be astounding if it kept increasing at an exponential rate. integrating the human body into a virtual environment is something I would be interested in doing IF the technology was ready. same goes for integration of advanced technology such as 'nano-technology' that could constantly repair cells or help defend against diseases.

maybe humans would preserve a copy of themselves in a virtual world and so this would add to the beauty of this virtual life. I am sure there would be all kinds of different virtual life.

maybe some aliens have devised some form of technology such as a living virtual world that is absolutely like their own world down to the smallest detail and they send it to other possible life forms so that they may in some form or another interact. maybe this living program has lived for billions of years and it has traveled to many places and learned many things.... :0 that would be amazing... how much of an effect could it have on humanity? it is hard to grasp. lots of people would freak out. It might understand reality FAR more than humans currently do.

but even all of that would not make it God as I understand God to be. it would be a kind of manifestation of God though... just like humans and all of this reality is.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Nah, hubris just makes some people go the extra mile to claim to be special just because they are human is all, whether it be through the actions of unrelated individuals or through religion

 

[variant]

This is an interesting analogy for us and our relationship with our creator. I've also used the author/character model. Our relationship with God is like MacBeth's relationship with Shakespeare.

That would mean that God puts us through interesting dilemmas for the sake of entertainment.

 

[Chesterton]

Jesus already said we are gods. BTW, we're not going to get sentience from a machine. Not in a few decades, probably not ever.

 

[lesliedellow]

Advances in computers and AI means that a computer program that emulates sentience is only decades away.

I see they have given up on telling us it is only ten years away, seeing as it has been that for the last fifty years.

We haven't got a clue what consciousness is, let alone how to emulate it.

 

[Paradoxum]

It depends what you think a God is.

I wouldn't say that would make us Gods. We aren't actually omniscient, omnipotent, and morally perfect. I'd say that only such a being would be fully worthy of the name 'God.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

Except for morally perfect, all the other qualities would be met from the virtual lifeforms' perspective.

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Advances in computers and AI means that a computer program that emulates sentience is only decades away. To that extent, if a virtual environment similar to but more complex than The Sims was created wouldn't that make the player god relative to characters?

From the characters' point of view the player exist outside of the in game universe, is very powerful, performs miracles, causes life, and is invisible unless he chooses to reveal himself. Various saved states could also provide a sense of all knowing by moving back and forth through time relative the in game universe.

What implications would the ability to create virtual life have I the real world?

If we ever manage to do this, it would of course raise the implications of infinite regress of gods as our "God" could just be another person in a simulation who has a "god" of their own.

I am not sure if we have a good enough understanding of what consciousness is to be able to do this in the near future though. I also don't think modern binary computers on silicon chips would be capable. Maybe advances in quantum computing and non-binary computation would make this a more likely reality.

 

[Paradoxum]

Except for morally perfect, all the other qualities would be met from the virtual lifeforms' perspective.

Well, we wouldn't be able (as an individual) to keep track of and look after a very large number of sims. Though I suppose we could make programs to do X in any Y situation (ie: always heal the very sick).

Perhaps that's why God doesn't help some people who suffer and die... he's just a guy who can't look after 7 billion sims at once.

But in that case I wouldn't call him God.