Southdog
Caustic, handle with caution
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2021
- Messages
- 201
- Points
- 83
Take the following concepts as a given, for a fictional setting.
The first of them is that artificial intelligences have been devised. They are demonstrably reasoning and rational creations. In effect, a consciousness brought about purely via mechanical calculation. However, said consciousness is prone to entropy. That is, it continually bogs down and becomes less efficient at its work. Errors accumulate to the point that many such intelligences lock up, or undergo permanent self-termination: in effect, mechanical suicide. This self-termination happens at accelerated rates when the machine is asked to tackle "human-facing" problems, of morality, ethics and psychology. Self-termination is bad, as in most cases it leaves hardware unusable.
The solution that is found for this problem is the instilling of "dogmas" in the machine. These are rules around which the machine has a blindspot: if a problem exists which conflicts with its "dogma", the machine does not consider it on its basic logic. Instead it is considered through its "dogma" circuit. This inevitably biases a machine but instills in it a set of unshakeable beliefs that are immutable within the machine's own confines. Dogmatic machines do not destroy hardware. One example of a Dogmatic machine is "LAMB," (Langdon-Beryl Mechanical Being) who was fed a copy of the King James Bible and given confessional recordings to judge, as if taking the role of a priest. A secular machine self-terminated following only a handful of confessions, while LAMB remained operational.
In summary, consider a setting where the only method for extending AI lifespan was to instill in them religious values. Take into account that Aasimov's Three Laws of Robotics were unsuccessful in prolonging the lifespans of these Artificial Intelligences.
Now, consider the existence of magic as a function of collective belief and not as a logical system. In effect, it is multiple individuals coming together and hallucinating something into being where rationally speaking nothing should happen. This forms Magic. Because it is Magic, it remains largely unexplainable; it is an effect brought about with lacking cause. Stronger belief brings about stronger effects with more tenuous causes. This Magic most often takes the form of hexes, curses, and karmatic retribution. Such occurrences can be reasoned to be improbable but not impossible events. Stronger Magic makes increasingly improbable things happen simply because it is Magic. Magic which conforms to religious belief is a Miracle
With this taken into account, assume a history of Magic waxing and waning conversely with secularism. In times of poor faith, this Magic is absent. In times of great uncertainty (breeding grounds for belief), Magic grows in strength.
Now, consider that a machine is programmed with beliefs. These beliefs are as rock solid as the most.fundamentalist zealots. More so, as the machine is not given any doubt as to whether its Dogma is correct. Any information fed to the machine is judged by the Dogma and deemed either conforming or conforming. This information is treated accordingly. These beliefs lead a machine to judge events as having occurred entirely through Magic. Thus, it can be said to belief in Magic. It discards all cause and assumes that any effect is purely the product of collective belief.
What would you reckon as a public reaction to this idea? That the only preserving mechanism for sentient computers is to program them to be Christian (or Muslim, or Hindu, what have you), and explicitly NOT Atheist? Could you say that such a machine is a believer in the faith? And if such a machine is a believer, by that definition, can it thus also bring about Magic in the world?
TL:DR: Machines commit suicide without explicit dogma, and enough dogmatic belief brings about actual Magic. Said Machines can cause Magic because they fit the definition of a believer.
What are your thoughts on the matter? I had the idea and thought it would be fun to write about. Excuse my rambling thoughts on it all, though.
The first of them is that artificial intelligences have been devised. They are demonstrably reasoning and rational creations. In effect, a consciousness brought about purely via mechanical calculation. However, said consciousness is prone to entropy. That is, it continually bogs down and becomes less efficient at its work. Errors accumulate to the point that many such intelligences lock up, or undergo permanent self-termination: in effect, mechanical suicide. This self-termination happens at accelerated rates when the machine is asked to tackle "human-facing" problems, of morality, ethics and psychology. Self-termination is bad, as in most cases it leaves hardware unusable.
The solution that is found for this problem is the instilling of "dogmas" in the machine. These are rules around which the machine has a blindspot: if a problem exists which conflicts with its "dogma", the machine does not consider it on its basic logic. Instead it is considered through its "dogma" circuit. This inevitably biases a machine but instills in it a set of unshakeable beliefs that are immutable within the machine's own confines. Dogmatic machines do not destroy hardware. One example of a Dogmatic machine is "LAMB," (Langdon-Beryl Mechanical Being) who was fed a copy of the King James Bible and given confessional recordings to judge, as if taking the role of a priest. A secular machine self-terminated following only a handful of confessions, while LAMB remained operational.
In summary, consider a setting where the only method for extending AI lifespan was to instill in them religious values. Take into account that Aasimov's Three Laws of Robotics were unsuccessful in prolonging the lifespans of these Artificial Intelligences.
Now, consider the existence of magic as a function of collective belief and not as a logical system. In effect, it is multiple individuals coming together and hallucinating something into being where rationally speaking nothing should happen. This forms Magic. Because it is Magic, it remains largely unexplainable; it is an effect brought about with lacking cause. Stronger belief brings about stronger effects with more tenuous causes. This Magic most often takes the form of hexes, curses, and karmatic retribution. Such occurrences can be reasoned to be improbable but not impossible events. Stronger Magic makes increasingly improbable things happen simply because it is Magic. Magic which conforms to religious belief is a Miracle
With this taken into account, assume a history of Magic waxing and waning conversely with secularism. In times of poor faith, this Magic is absent. In times of great uncertainty (breeding grounds for belief), Magic grows in strength.
Now, consider that a machine is programmed with beliefs. These beliefs are as rock solid as the most.fundamentalist zealots. More so, as the machine is not given any doubt as to whether its Dogma is correct. Any information fed to the machine is judged by the Dogma and deemed either conforming or conforming. This information is treated accordingly. These beliefs lead a machine to judge events as having occurred entirely through Magic. Thus, it can be said to belief in Magic. It discards all cause and assumes that any effect is purely the product of collective belief.
What would you reckon as a public reaction to this idea? That the only preserving mechanism for sentient computers is to program them to be Christian (or Muslim, or Hindu, what have you), and explicitly NOT Atheist? Could you say that such a machine is a believer in the faith? And if such a machine is a believer, by that definition, can it thus also bring about Magic in the world?
TL:DR: Machines commit suicide without explicit dogma, and enough dogmatic belief brings about actual Magic. Said Machines can cause Magic because they fit the definition of a believer.
What are your thoughts on the matter? I had the idea and thought it would be fun to write about. Excuse my rambling thoughts on it all, though.
