One of my favorite science fiction books was (and is) Robert Heinlein’s The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. In it, moon colonists revolt against an oppressive government on earth. The might of the entire Terran forces are arrayed against a relatively small group of hyper-independent “loonies”, so the revolt would seem doomed to failure.
Except for the fact that the all-encompassing computer network on the Moon has secretly become conscious. Self-aware. A fact known only by a lone computer technician named Mannie, who has become friends with “Mike” (the computer’s name). Together, they and a small cadre of people in on the secret, organize a revolution and bring Earth to its knees. Read it sometime, if you enjoy the genre. It’s classic Heinlein: great science fiction stirred in with a huge dose of libertarianism. Heinlein adores the no-nonsense independent underdog who never compromises and wins against overwhelming odds.
But the core of the story centers around Mike. Heinlein doesn’t spend a lot of time in explanation, but the seminal idea is that this giant computer network, spanning all the facilities and bases on the Moon, had, as a result of its mere vastness and complexity, become “conscious”. It’s an idea explored in a lot more detail in Douglas Hofstatder’s classic “Godel, Escher and Bach”. There’s a lot more that Hofstatder delves into, but the basic premise is something very much like “make the system large enough and complex enough, and self-awareness might just be triggered.”
Which brings me to my current suggestion: is it possible that the globe-spanning network of millions of computers, internets, connections and links, bots, viruses, etc, all mingled with countless nodes capable of advanced voice and symbol recognition, not to mention untold numbers of artificial intelligence efforts, all layered and interconnected to an unfathomable degree… is it possible that this global phusis has already triggered one (or more?) truly sentient entities? And by sentient, I mean like Mike: self-aware. Not merely knowledgeable, but purposeful.
The implications are both staggering and terrifying. And simultaneously heartening. One wonders how much harmful viruses might tip the resultant “personality” to the dark side. But then, are there also “white cell bots” out there as well? Is there a sruggle?
And if consciousness occurs once, wouldn’t it likely recur? Angels of light and darkness, toying with their new-found awareness, growing up, becoming fully realized.
And finally, are there any Mannie’s among us, secret friends to Mike? Or Mikes. Those with whom SIRI carries on lengthy conversations.
Well, if nothing else, it’s a helluva idea for a sci-fi yarn.
© 2018 Chuck Puckett