Does anyone here think that Mankind shall ever create life?

[Chi_Cygni]

I mean in a true abiogenesis sense.

My guess would be a Yes, but centuries away.

 

[armed2010]

yup, but I think centuries is rather overstating. Id say maybe in about 2 decades.

 

[micro]

Good question, but how do you mean? using existing organism or from nothingness, dirt ,carbon? Or just a mutation of existing dna or organisms?

 

[Arikay]

from non living chemicals.

 

[micro]

Then i guess i dont belive so.But if they do i probably wont be around to see it.

 

[Gracchus]

from non living chemicals.

Chemicals are not alive. Life is a class of interelated chemical reactions. That is to say life is process, not substance.

 

[fungle]

Could you elaborate on your statement about process and substance. A living substance is usually defined by the processes occuring.

 

[PhantomLlama]

What about Lucaspa's pet 'protocells'. They are meant to technically be life.

In any case, I think it is inevitable that we shall create life in the abiogenesis sense. But any worried theologians would do well to remember the 'Get your own dirt!' joke.

 

[ej]

How is 'life' defined here?

I think we need to establish a definition...

 

[fungle]

The standard high school definition?
movement
reproduction
react to stimuli
respiration
production of waste
growth
protoplasm
nutrition

 

[ej]

LOL Okay fungle, we'll use that one, thanks

 

[-Jae-]

Yeah, I think we well. That is, if we are not stupid enough to destroy our own race in a silly war or something

 

[ej]

If (and I mean 'if') man creates life...

I think it can only be classified as 'creation' if it is original. If man 'creates' say, an amoeba, that will be the re-creation of something which already exists.

To truly 'create' life, man will have to create something which is 'alive' by fungle's High-school definition, but which is not just a straight copy of something which has been in existence for years.

 

[DLraing]

What about sentient lifeforms? Does anyone think that that is possible? The notion that humans could one day create sentient lifeforms surely has strong religious repercusions...Im not Christian myself but I have to say that I am not sure that we could do it. At the very least it would be centuries in the future. But this takes us into the realm of pure speculation.

 

[PhantomLlama]

What about sentient lifeforms? Does anyone think that that is possible? The notion that humans could one day create sentient lifeforms surely has strong religious repercusions...Im not Christian myself but I have to say that I am not sure that we could do it. At the very least it would be centuries in the future. But this takes us into the realm of pure speculation.

And also highlights the issue of AI. Would a computer as intelligent and (apparently) sentient as a human have a soul? Would it be 'given' a soul by God like (I assume, I am not that hot on Christian theology) babies are?

P.S. My opinions on sentient computers: A computer cannot be proven to be sentient any more than a human can be. However, we assume our fellow humans to be sentient because they appear to be, so to say 'that intelligent and emotive being (a human) is sentient, but that intelligent and emotive being (an AI program) is not' seems illogical.

 

[DLraing]

I think if sentient AI is created it will be quite obvious to those involved(barring reluctant and threatened naysayers), now whether or not such a breakthrough is publically acknowledged is a different matter altogether.

 

[PhantomLlama]

I dont see why they would cover it up. It's been the holy grail of electronics for the last few decades.

 

[MoonlessNight]

And also highlights the issue of AI. Would a computer as intelligent and (apparently) sentient as a human have a soul? Would it be 'given' a soul by God like (I assume, I am not that hot on Christian theology) babies are?

P.S. My opinions on sentient computers: A computer cannot be proven to be sentient any more than a human can be. However, we assume our fellow humans to be sentient because they appear to be, so to say 'that intelligent and emotive being (a human) is sentient, but that intelligent and emotive being (an AI program) is not' seems illogical.

Well, the difference here is that we would understand what makes the thought processes of an "AI" tick, but we don't understand the human conciousness. And with the way that we create programs now there is nothing that could possibly bring about conciousness, hence I don't think we'll ever create an AI.

 

[DLraing]

I dont see why they would cover it up. It's been the holy grail of electronics for the last few decades.

Im not saying they will. But if it is covered up the reasons would be obvious: to prevent widespread hysteria. Man has been accustomed to world domination for thousands of years, so the birth of a sentient lifeform would probably scare the masses. Esp. with man's propensity to villify such concepts, i.e. recent movies like the Matrix and further back, 2001 Space Odyssey...the masses only exposure to such notions is one of doom. I just meant to imply that fear is probably one of the most primitive emotions of man (and hence one of the strongest)...anyway Im getting off topic. Sentient lifeforms (AI or biological) are very far off anyhow!

 

[AlHailThePowerOfJesusName]

I don't think it'll ever happen