20.283 ethical & legal issues of historical simulation

               Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 20, No. 283.
       Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
  www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/cch/research/publications/humanist.html
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         Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 07:37:09 +0100
         From: Lynda Williams <lynda_at_okalrel.org>
         Subject: Re: 20.276 ethical & legal issues of historical simulation?

Regarding the abstract below -- sounds a bit like the "Deep Thought"
scenario explaining Earth's existence, from the Hitch Hiker's Guide to
the Universe. :-) And I'm suspecting a dose of "modest proposal"
here, yes?

Abstract:
A future society will very likely have the technological ability and
the motivation to create large numbers of completely realistic
historical simulations and be able to overcome any ethical and legal
obstacles to doing so. It is thus highly probable that we are a form
of artificial intelligence inhabiting one of these simulations. To
avoid stacking (i.e. simulations within simulations), the termination
of these simulations is likely to be the point in history when the
technology to create them first became widely available, (estimated to
be 2050). Long range planning beyond this date would therefore be
futile.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Lynda Williams, SF Author (http://www.okalrel.org)
2005 The Courtesan Prince - Edge SF and Fantasy
2006 "Harpy" in MYTHSPRING
2006 Guide to the Okal Rel Universe - Fandom Press

On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:06:25 +0100, willard_at_LISTS.VILLAGE.VIRGINIA.EDU
wrote:
> Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 20, No. 276. Centre for Computing
> in the Humanities, King's College London
> www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/cch/research/publications/humanist.
ht
> ml www.princeton.edu/humanist/
> Submit to: humanist_at_princeton.edu
>
>
> Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:02:13 +0100
> From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty_at_kcl.ac.uk> > on ethical &
legal issues of simulation?
>
> I have recently completed a paper entitled "Historical Simulations -
> Motivational, Ethical and Legal Issues" that appears in the
> August, 2006 issue of the Journal of Futures Studies. It is
> available on SSRN at
> http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=929327
>
> The paper discusses the ethical and legal issues of using
> completely realistic, fine-grained simulations around the mid-21st
> century for reflective nostalgia, historical research, testing new
> forms of artificial intelligence, and backing-up civilization in
> perilous times.
>
> Any comments would be welcome.
>
> Peter S. Jenkins
> "PETER JENKINS" <peterjenkins_at_rogers.com>
>
>
> Dr Willard McCarty | Reader in Humanities Computing | Centre for
> Computing in the Humanities | King's College London | Kay House, 7
> Arundel Street | London WC2R 3DX | U.K. | +44 (0)20 7848-2784 fax: -
> 2980 || willard.mccarty_at_kcl.ac.uk www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/
Received on Wed Oct 25 2006 - 03:36:09 EDT