Is Mankind Smart Enough?

Lestat · #1 10-24-2005, 01:35 AM

Imagine for a second that man has found a way off this planet and is capable of continuing to migrate throughout the universe for eternity.

Is it within man's intellectual capability to eventually arrive at a theory of everything? i.e. At the very least learn exactly what makes the universe tick?

Zygote · #2 10-24-2005, 02:02 AM

a better question is: are we able to answer your question? my bet would be on no.

Lestat · #3 10-24-2005, 02:10 AM

I don't understand. Did I screw up the poll? I don't know how to do those. If I did, then just discuss.

My personal opinion is that it is very feasible that much of our questions regarding the universe lie outside the scope of human intelligence no matter how long we have to discover such anwsers. Am I alone?

Zygote · #4 10-24-2005, 02:19 AM

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My personal opinion is that it is very feasible that much of our questions regarding the universe lie outside the scope of human intelligence no matter how long we have to discover such anwsers. Am I alone?

[/ QUOTE ]

no. many physicists would agree with you. string theorists are one, for example.

flatline · #5 10-24-2005, 03:49 AM

We will not be able to figure everything out in our current form. However, we will eventually build super-intelligent machines that will discover anything that can be discovered.

#6 10-24-2005, 03:52 AM

and then, plausibly, decide that humans are inefficient and chaotic.

flatline · #7 10-24-2005, 03:56 AM

[ QUOTE ]
and then, plausibly, decide that humans are inefficient and chaotic.

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Terminator scenarios aside, such machines are inevitable. It is only a question of time.

jester710 · #8 10-24-2005, 04:00 AM

[ QUOTE ]
We will not be able to figure everything out in our current form. However, we will eventually build super-intelligent machines that will discover anything that can be discovered.

[/ QUOTE ]

Will this be considered evolution?

flatline · #9 10-24-2005, 04:07 AM

I think we'll have to think of some different word. I imagine Ray Kurzweil (futurist author) has already thought of something.

#10 10-24-2005, 04:17 AM

yeah, I grew up on terminator, but this really is inevitable... the only thing I think we can do about it is try to cement the "creator" thought in machine heads, because they will come to this conclusion.

wow, I hope I dont get flamed for what I just wrote.

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