Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Multi-cellular automata?

Evolution
TB — (archived)

As someone pointed out, we've been using natural self-replicating machines for as long as there has been agriculture and domestication.

If the inherent evolutionary capacity of a Von Neumann machine is limited to approximately the same level as natural organisms, that will help a lot.

Nobody worries about coming out to the cow pasture in the morning and finding they've all evolved into something carnivorous.

Keep the machines simple. Replication, not evolution. For example, building a machine that has the capacity to conceive and build brand-new designs may not be all that smart. You have now changed a biological evolutionary timescale into a cultural evolutionary timescale, and if you watch human history, you know how much fun THAT can generate.

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