[alicebot-aiethics] hawking deserves the best AI or new body we can give him

[Christo *]

>I agree that it'd be nice to outfit Hawking with bionics or something.
>But I'd like to point out that until quite recently, in the scheme of
>history, people only lived into their 30's!
>

I agree that only in this century has the average life span in the western 
world rise into the 60s or 70s, but I think it only fair to point out that 
pre-Mediaeval Europe, in Greece and Rome, it was not unheard of to live into 
their 80s. Indeed, one couldn't even become Consul in Rome until one was in 
their mid to late 30's, and to become a part of the Spartan Gerousia 
(roughly a Senate-style body) you had to be at least 60 years old! It is 
estimated that roughly half of all Legionarries survived their 20 years of 
service, which was often near continous fighting, giving them, at the very 
least, a life expectancy greater than 30!

I would say that average life expectancy in these two civilisations would 
have been at least 50, if not higher.

I think your conclusion is right though - that this century has seen a much 
greater supply of brain power available to be used. But I would argue this 
is based on an ever widening access to education and more leisure time to 
use it in.

Cheers!
Christo

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