 Model of the head of Sonny the AI robot from I, Robot
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Evolution predicts humans will eventually go the way of the Dodo. |
I came across an interesting headline in my newsreader the other day:
“The beginning of the end: Google’s AI has beaten a top human player at the complex game of Go”[1]
Here is their one sentence summary of what happened:
“Earlier today, AlphaGo, an artificially intelligent algorithm developed by Google’s DeepMind subsidiary, categorically beat Lee Sedol, one of the best players of the Chinese board game Go”
I remember a similar epic match up back in the day (twenty years ago to be precise) in Philadelphia between IBM’s supercomputer “Deep Blue” and the then reigning world champion chess master Gary Kasparov (mentioned in the article above in passing). In the first match up, Deep Blue won only 1 of the 6 game series. Not satisfied, IBM wanted to win an entire match, so the engineers went off and made improvements for a rematch.
The rematch came the following year in New York City. As the above article notes, Deep Blue used a “brute force” approach to playing chess, evaluating the strength of various possible chess plays. Brute force is a bit of an under statement: “Deep Blue could calculate over 200 million chess positions per second”[2] according to Smithsonian historian David Allison. Kasparov and Deep Blue split the first two games – winning one each, and tied the next three. Kasparov lost the final game to Deep Blue, giving Deep Blue the match. Kasparov, perhaps like many, couldn’t believe he could lose to a machine and IBM’s refusal to requests for computer logs and a rematch seemed to highlight previous charges he had made earlier in the match accusing the IBM team of cheating – having a human (grand master) help guide the machine.
The difference between Deep Blue’s win and AlphaGo’s win is that:
“AlphaGo’s victory over Lee is one of the first times a computer program has been able to adapt to the situation in front of it.“[3]
That is a game changer. As alluded to near the end of the article, one is reminded of the adaptability of the “The Terminator”, and the dark future that scenario portends for humans.
Thus the first phrase of the title of the AlphaGo article, “The Beginning of the End” is really a softer way to put this stark truth: If evolution is true, humans are doomed. That is not a statement of hyperbole. If evolutionists believe that “evolution is a fact” – and they do[4] – they must also believe that one of evolution’s key tenets, “survival of the fittest” guarantees that some race – but not necessarily humans – will always rise to the top. Humans may have been the “fittest” to achieve species dominance for a short time (given an evolutionary time scale), but there are a number of scenarios bound to come where humans are not the fittest, and in fact are vastly inferior. Following are some scenarios where either plain evolution, or evolution coupled with human tinkering or Big Bang evolutionary theory spells certain doom for the human race.
Evolutionary Doomsday Scenarios
Scenario 1. AI Singularity
A good portion of the plot of the movie “I, Robot” revolves around getting the protoganist’s character (played by Will Smith) – a robot-phobic cop who (as it turns out) is himself a cyborg, to be at the exact time and place for him to witness the AI singularity. What is the AI singularity?
“Scientists have long predicted what they call ‘The singularity.’ This theory states that artificial intelligence will eventually develop self-awareness, and will begin to think and act independently of human control. De Garris believes that when the singularity arrives, mankind will for the first time face competition for the planet’s dominant species.”[5]
There you have it. The fear that haunts many a developer of AI – artificial intelligence. This fear has been around for years, but with the explosive growth and widespread adoption of computer and particularly robot and AI technology, the threat has moved from a distant possibility to a near term certainty. Developers of AI, like computer scientist Hugo De Garis see “…a future in which artificial intelligences are far more powerful than the entire human race combined.” De Garis goes on to say:
“It’s only a question of time now before humanity can build artificial brains that are far more intelligent than human beings. So this is a huge issue which I believe will eclipse any other human issue of this century. I call this species dominance”[6]
Hugo De Garis, computer scientist
The problem with the above scenario comes when your species is no longer the dominant species, and the dominant species determines you’re a pest. De Garis gives the example of a mosquito. We humans regard mosquitoes as pests. If some (or all) of them are killed to keep the blood sucking, disease carrying parasites off us, most of us wouldn’t care. What happens when the shoe is on the other foot? What happens when the sophistication and intelligence of robots to humans approaches that of humans to mosquitoes? And the robots notice our oxygen breathing bodies and preference for warm temperatures corrodes and weakens their components too quickly and decide to decrease both the temperatures and the level of oxygen in all living spaces (which they would of course control by then) to a more robot friendly level. A level which happens to be below that which is required to sustain human life. In an evolutionary scenario, not only would we be powerless to stop it, we couldn’t even say it’s morally wrong, because as evolutionists constantly remind us, in an evolution derived universe, there are no morals, and the universe doesn’t care what happens to humans. As evolution evangelist Richard Dawkins put it:
The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”[7]
Richard Dawkins
How long will it before before a super powerful machine like Agent Smith in The Matrix figures, as Smith did, that humans are a virus that need to be eradicated?
Scenario 2. Extra-Terrestrial Aggression/Expansion/Resource Acquisition
This is of course a perennial science fiction theme – the only variation being – what the Extra-terrestrials want to do with humans.
The common theme is of course to outright destroy man as in “Independence Day“(1996) and “The War of the Worlds” (2005, 1951). Other times the aliens merely want to rule the world as in the TV series “V” (2009). World domination is also the theme when various superior (and typically super powered) alien meglomanics want to rule over us, such as the alien Kryptonian General Zod in “Man of Steel” (2013) or Thor’s brother Loki in The Avengers (2012) In the classic Twightlight Zone Episode “To Serve Man”(1962), the aliens want to eat us.
Since these are all science fiction movies, one might tend to not take either them or the threat posed in them – very seriously. But evolutionary scientists take them very seriously – seeing them as a deadly serious threat.
One such scientist, Charles Cockell, is a professor of astrobiology at the University of Edinborough, Scotland. Since in the evolutionary worldview, alien life is not only possible, but also expected, “he thinks deeply about alien life, and how evolution might determine their actions at first contact.”[8] Cockell makes a number of points that lead him to the conclusion that any extra-terrestrial life that arrives at earth from space is likely to be:
A. More advanced (having mastered star travel), but not necessarily benign or with benevolent intentions:
“It’s not clear that a civilization, just because it can travel through space, would be altruistic. Humanity for example landed space craft on the freezing moon Titan. And yet we still go to war. So it’s not the case that technological advancement necessarily comes hand in hand with altruism. It’s possible that an alien civilization could actually be quite dangerous.”[9]
B. Predatory (being at the top of their food chain)
He makes the point that creatures (alien or otherwise) that are very intelligent necessarily have large caloric intake needs, and it’s not efficient meeting those needs through grazing on low calorie foods like grasses. Being a predator is the quickest, easiest way to get the necessary energy to run the brain. Thus they are likely to be not only predators, but top predators – at the top of their food chain.
“Intelligent creatures, particularly very intelligent creatures would be predatory. They would be at the end of a food chain. They would eat other creatures that eat other creatures. So they’re bound to be predatory in some way.”[10]
C. Possessing a war like culture (like ours) and looking for resources. As it turns out, this plotline from the many alien invasion movies is right on the mark:
“Charles is confident that at first contact we will meet an intelligent race of predators. Predators that most likely developed a war like culture, just like ours.”[11]
Scientists believe that a global extinction event – like what they believe killed off the dinosaurs – will happen (again in their view) on earth. The only way for humans to survive such an event would be to spread our genes to other planets across the universe. As theoretical physicist Michio Kaku put it:
“We have no choice, it’s a law of evolution, geology and physics. The alternative is death and extinction.”[12]
So who’s to say that aliens haven’t beaten us to the punch in spreading out across the universe?
“Conflict in human beings is definitely linked to predation. It’s all about grasping territory. It’s all about having resources and
commanding those resources in times of famine or times of
difficulty.[13]
Thus if evolution is true, it’s not unreasonable to believe that an alien race might show up at the door step at planet earth with weapons as superior to ours as the nuclear bomb was to convention weapons at the close of World War II. If they decide to use such weapons to eradicate humans what could evolutionists say, besides, “Oh well, that’s survival of the fittest. Clearly they are more fit.” Evolutionists have no basis for any moral judgment on whether humans should be allowed to live. We’re just another animal on the food chain in the evolutionary scheme of things.
These last two items – AI Singularity and Extra-Terrestrial Aggression are side products of the Neo-evolution theory that began with Darwin’s On The Origin of Species. Big Bang evolution has a different, but even more certain doom for not just humans, but all life.
Scenario 3. Big Bang Doomsday Scenario: The End of All Life
Scientists used to debate how the universe would end. They had three popular theories:
A. The Big Crunch
B. The Big Chill
C. The Big Rip
These are the three possible outcomes based on what happens as a result of the interplay between the contractive force of gravity and the mysterious expansive force scientists call dark energy. A force they say is causing the universe to expand.
If gravity wins the tug of war between itself and dark energy, then the universe begins to contract and all matter is ultimately squeezed together in the big crunch.
Dark energy is unique in that it is, say the scientists, a property of empty space. And the more you expand space, the more dark energy you get. Thus if dark energy expands at a steady 1:1 rate with the expansion of space, you wind up with the Big Chill – everything slowly drifting apart and dissolving away. Even stars and black holes dissolve away over trillions of years. But if dark energy increases more quickly – at an exponential rate, you get the big rip – which happens much more quickly. In that scenario:
…”in the space of a few minutes, all the stars and planets in the universe will be destroyed. The remains pull apart into ever small pieces” Until finally, when the universe has less than a second to live, the sub atomic particles that made all matter will be destroyed. and all that remains will be individual photons becoming scarcer and scarcer as the space between them expands.”[14]
For what it’s worth scientists believe the evidence points toward the scenario of the Big Chill:
“Thirty years ago it was debatable, but now it appears that the universe most likely will suffer a deep freeze.”[15]
Hakeem Oluseyi – Astrophysicist
In that scenario, the universe dies a long slow, cold death, and with it, all life within it.
So there you have three scenarios where the secular philosophies of evolution and the Big Bang predict certain disaster for the human race. And I haven’t even touched on human caused or assisted catastrophes such as the genetically engineered apes that become the dominant species in the reboot of “Planet of the Apes” or the lethal genetically engineered virus that wipes out most of mankind in “I am Legend. Such doomsday scenarios is all the hope that secular science has to offer for the future of humankind.
God has planned a Glorious Future
Thankfully, Biblical creationists do not share the doom and gloom view of secular scientist – that there will be an eventual destruction of the universe and thus the extinguishment of all life for all time. Just as Genesis tells us how God started the world and all life, Revelation tells us how God will move them to an eternal state. And in between we have the doctrine of the majesty of man. We need not worry about superior aliens taking over first because neo-Darwinian evolution is impossible, so life could not have evolved elsewhere. Second, there’s no indication in scripture that God placed life on other planets. God make the earth to be inhabited (Is 45.18), there’s no reason to believe he did likewise with another planet. Finally because scripture tells us that man is at the pinnacle of God’s creation – there are no higher created things – not even angels. Psalm 8 proclaims the majesty of man and his position in the creation:
Yet You have made him
a little lower than God[16],
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
Psalm 8.5 (NASB)
As for the future of man kind, that is also revealed in Revelation:
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Rev 21.2-3
If evolution were true, humanity would most certainly be doomed. Thankfully all the evidence points to a simple but profound fact: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Evolution is most certainly false. And a look around at the wonder of God’s creation gives us reason to say with the psalmist:
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8.1
Duane Caldwell | 4/7/2016 | printer friendly version
Notes
1. Mike Murphy “The beginning of the end: Google’s AI has beaten a top human player at the complex game of Go“, 3/12/2016, http://qz.com/636637/the-beginning-of-the-end-googles-ai-has-beaten-a-top-human-player-at-the-complex-game-of-go/
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2. David Allison, Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, ref from TV Series: Mysteries at the Museum episode “Lost Colony of Roanoke, Linda Hazzard, Deep Blue” original air date: 5/22/2012
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3. Mike Murphy, “The beginning of the end…”
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4. You can watch well known evolutionary biologist and evangelist Richard Dawkins proclaim evolution a “fact” in this Big Think video: http://bigthink.com/videos/the-fact-of-evolution
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5. Narrator, Prophets of Doom, Documentary, 2011
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6. Dr. Hugo De Garis, Computer Scientist, Prophets of Doom, Documentary, 2011
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7. Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life; 1995 ref from http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1194.Richard_Dawkins
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8. Narration by Morgan Freeman in Through the Wormhole episode “Will We Survive First Contact” Science Channel Documentary, 2012
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9. Charles Cockell, Through the Wormhole episode “Will We Survive First Contact” Science Channel Documentary, 2012
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10. Cockell, Will We survive First Contact
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11. Freeman, Will We survive First Contact
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12. Michio Kaku, How the Universe Works, episode “Starman” Science Channel documentary, 2014
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13. Cockell, Will We survive First Contact
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14. Narrator, How the Universe Works, episode “End of the Universe” Science Channel documentary, 2014
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15. Hakeem Oluseyi – Astrophysicist, How the Universe Works, episode “End of the Universe” Science Channel documentary, 2014
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16. Many modern translation substitute “angels” for God, but the word in the original Hebrew is אלהים (elohim) – the word for God. Commentators speculate the word was traditionally translated as “angels” to avoid theological problems in both Hebrew and pagan cultures.
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Image I, Robot’s “Sonny”
By Shao19 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Scientist continue to predict Robots and AI threaten humanity.