So I’m creating an AI program for a game.
The process had me thinking about the connection between AI and Human goal-making. It’s about Idealism. Humanity is driven by animal-instincts, to avoid pain and chase pleasure, which are chemical Dopamine-hits that cause Euphoria. The base-form of Hedonism in Humanity is drug use and abuse. But the Natural forms are basic: defecating, urinating, sex (stimulating the prostate), and consumption – rising to the complex: Art, Music, Song, Dance, Literature, Exploration, Scientific Discovery, Athleticism, War Victories, etc. So there is a wide range of “Win-States” in Humanity, and in Biology, between a system of Reward (pleasure) and Punishment (pain).
Win-States (pleasure) and Lose-States (pain) are easily encoded by ‘1’ and ‘0’. A program that achieves an end goal Win-State of ‘One’, wins. A program that does not or cannot, loses.
Since such Goals and “Win-States” can be programmed into machines and software executables, then does it not also apply to Humanity one-to-one? And the answer is, yes, obviously. This is largely an instinctive and reflexive phenomena of Socialization, by which Ideals are (Memetically) transferred between Parent-to-Child, Teacher-to-Student, State-to-Subject, and God-to-Disciple. These are the most obvious and notable methods of Memetic-Transfer, but there are more.
This is how everybody on Earth, every society, culture, religion, group, etc… this is how every person receives their goals, ideals, and “Win-States”. Then, people work their way up a chain-of-success to achieve a Win-State (Ideal), according to the values, ethics, and morals of the subsequent group-identity. Because groups and individuals differ, there will be a competition of Ideals. Many people will not share same or similar Ideals. And of the Shared-Ideals, few people will agree on the means of achieving those such Ideals. The methods and means will vary, creating Different, Uniqueness, and “Individuality”. A person who “wins the game” with a novel method, quickly becomes Copied, and that method becomes “Meta”.
The more energy, specialization, time, studiousness, effort, risk, sacrifice, work, etc. required to attain an Ideal… (use Jesus Christ as an example) the more profound, astonishing, excellent, glorious, miraculous, etc. it becomes.
If an ideal (win-state) is “too high”, too lofty, then None attain it and everybody gives up.
If an ideal (win-state) is “too low” that anybody can achieve it, then few will remark or brag about it, since it gives no “social credit”.
Aside from all this, I’m interested in Novel and New ideals, new Idealism, new Win-States.
In the coming decades and centuries, building large colonies in space will become more realistic and attainable, making that a worthwhile ideal and Win-State for Humanity. But, until then, other ideals, goals, and victories must be relegated to something Lesser on Earth. Because people must pass their time on Earth until then.