REVIEW Some soup for the 'Digital Soul'
Author uses the digital future to question today's human values.
By CLAY EVANS
SCRIPPS HOWARD
"Digital Soul: Intelligent Machines and Human Values" by Thomas M. Georges (Westview, $26)
If physicist/author Thomas M. Georges used an old IBM Selectric to type his manuscripts -- and given his deep knowledge of computers it's certain that he does not -- I wonder if he would have worn out the "?" key in writing his intriguing, and sure to be controversial, new book, "Digital Soul."
Though buttressed with the ideas of thinkers such as B.F. Skinner, mathematician Alan Turing, Carl Sagan and others, liberally peppered with fun references to iconic "sci-fi" pop culture and supported throughout by his own solid grasp on the field of artificial intelligence, Georges pans in speculative waters where the gold is in the questions as much as their potential answers.
Georges supposes that in the relatively near future, humankind will create machines that so closely replicate human consciousness -- and so outperform our own feeble human brains in certain respects -- that we will have a whole new set of moral dilemmas to ponder. In keeping with his always-lively questioning approach, his preface presents a laundry list of queries. Among them:
"How would humans react on discovering that the club of sentient beings is not as exclusive as they thought?"; "How would it affect our notions of freedom and dignity?"; "How would it affect our beliefs in God?"; "Can computers be conscious?"; "Can they have emotions?"; "If so, what are their rights and responsibilities?" And, could you be charged with murder for disconnecting a "conscious" machine?
Original ideas
Some of his answers are surprising, and not a few will disturb some readers, I suspect.
There are so many ideas here -- mostly not original, but nicely and entertainingly woven together by this former scientist at Boulder, Colo.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- that it's really impossible in a short space to properly convey the territory across which he ranges. He first explores what he means by artificial intelligence, then moves into discussions of whether human concepts of emotion and morality might not find their equivalent in a sufficiently sophisticated thinking machine.
Unabashedly an evolutionist and humanist (his answer to the question on God will surely alienate the traditionally faithful), he's not afraid to criticize our race and civilization. It's actually rather refreshing. You don't see this kind of thing too often in a book intended for popular audiences.
Robots: a cleaner, better breed than humanity? Georges even boldly parses out our human flaws, questioning, for instance, our "inflated concepts of freedom and human dignity" and "ideas of personal responsibility, crime and punishment." Holy Heinlein! A futurist he may be, but a libertarian, he's not.
What's the point?
Ultimately, he's just arguing that we need to thoroughly think through the many possible ramifications of developing truly intelligent machines before we plunge in. He sees hope for a kind of human-machine symbiosis, but let's look before we leap.
It's when Georges strays from "intelligent machines" and into "human values" that he's likely to shock some people. He argues not only against blind belief in religion (he quotes biologist Richard Dawkins: "I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world."), but also scientists' claims that their pursuits should be unlimited and that the consequences/uses of their discoveries are not their problem.
"Digital Soul" is an enjoyable read, accessible, thought-provoking, and jammed with information and recognizable pop-culture reference points, all guided by Georges' own clear-eyed rationalism. It's hard to imagine many readers walking in lockstep with his conclusions, but if it's futuristic food for thought you're after, this book is quite a smorgasbord.