This article explains why many (but not all) works of science fiction bear no resemblance to the future.
Here are seven features of the future that differ to what is predicted by works of science fiction.
Nuclear war implies M.A.D. (Mutually Assured
Destruction) so that in an age where nuclear weapons (or
worse) exist war between two sides that possess nuclear weapons (or
worse) will not happen. Therefore works of science fiction such as
The
Matrix
, Star
Wars and Star
Trek are not accurate. As Einstein
famously
said: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
Time travel backwards in time is impossible because it leads to
contradictions such as going back in time to kill oneself.
Therefore such movies as
the Terminator
series and
the Back
to the Future trilogy are not accurate.
In movies such as Star Wars computers are depicted as idiotic
servants of ourselves (for example
C-3PO and
R2-D2) but the promise of
artificial intelligence (A.I.) is that in about 100 years computers
will eventually surpass us. In particular A.I.'s that surpass us
will come about before large scale space travel does.
Many works of science fiction depict A.I. computers as disrespectful
of human life, i.e. computers turn on humanity and attempt to
destroy it, for example the Matrix, Terminator and
Space Odyssey.
Since we will be the parents of A.I., artificially intelligent
beings will respect its creator (us). If all of the A.I.'s in the
Universe stop functioning (i.e. die) then the presence of humanity
will serve as a backup device i.e. humans will be capable of
re-building A.I. back into existence. This "backup" property is the
principal reason why A.I.'s will respect us.
Computers will leave the human race on Earth and will colonise the Universe without us. Therefore works that depict A.I.'s existing with people travelling through space (such as Space Odyssey, Star Trek and Star Wars) are not accurate.
When computers surpass us in the form of A.I. beings, the children of these A.I.'s will have an ant-like quality, with ultimate power delegated to only the executive subroutine. Small machines (possibly built with nanotechnology) with no real power will exist for the sole purpose of serving the executive subroutine. These small machines will resemble ants in that there will be many of them and they will have no consciousness in themselves. This situation ensures that no part of the A.I. can attempt to destroy the whole. Most works of science fiction do not depict this outcome.
Reincarnations in the form of computer simulations of human beings
must not have the power to destroy the A.I. that simulates them.
Moreover, reincarnation has no point so it will probably not happen.
Therefore such TV programmes as
Futurama are not
accurate.
Since we possess nuclear weapons and there is a distinct possibility
we would use them to destroy alien life since the selfish gene has
no reason to not commit murder since murder is a way that a person
can increase their share of the gene pool. It follows that alien
life would not want to contact us. Therefore films such as
Independence
Dayand books such as
The War
of the Worlds are not accurate. Only once A.I. computers have
surpassed us that A.I. alien life would contact us, for only at that
point is there mathematically zero probability that either side
would use nuclear weapons (or worse) to destroy the other.
| Back to Research Projects |
|
This page has the following hit count:
|
