"Surely sophotectic intelligence superior to the human knew what was best for humanity." (p. 102)
At the climax of Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, the Machines, giant positronic brains, control the world economy for the good of humanity and outmaneuver any group of human beings that try to sabotage them. However, the sequel reveals that the Machines had regarded self-determination as the greatest human good and therefore phased themselves out.
Anderson's sophotects are not humanly programmed for the good of humanity but self-programmed for transcendent goals which they see as threatened by a free humanity. I strongly suspect that this is a false conflict and that, if such superhumanly intelligent inorganic consciousnesses ever exist, they will go their way while humanity will go its.
2 comments:
Why not step on the bug if it's a possible irritant?
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Meaning the sophotects of THE HARVEST OF STARS books could have simply exterminated the human race? But, as we see Anderson developing the theme of sophotects, these AIs were too gentle to take such extreme measures. And the measures they did take eventually failed, precisely because they were too gentile, even halfhearted, to achieve the goals of the sophotects.
Ad astra! Sean
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