Would you have created conscious beings if it were up to you?

[Thrilho]

If you somehow had control over whether or not you would create conscious beings (or highly complex automata able to "experience"), would you create them?

I wouldn't. Of course, being the conscious being I am, if I were to stumble upon some magical button which, when pressed, would terminate all conscious beings in the Universe, I would find it hard to press it.
Firstly, because I have a biologically-given aversion to death.
Secondly, because even though there is much evil on Earth, I am sure the majority of conscious beings want to live.

But I mean before we all existed. Before any conscious being existed. Would you create them or not?

Post your thoughts.

 

[Evo]

I would create them if I could make them all nice. I guess if I had that kind of power, I could make them the way I wanted.

 

[humanino]

I votes "yes" although I do not fully agree with "Yes. This wonderful Universe needs to be experienced, even if there is evil.". Actually, I'd rather go for "Yes. This wonderful Universe needs to be experienced, especially if there is evil."

Ideally I would like to be able to run the whole thing on a computer, so that I can simulate many "Earth-like histories". See how often you get genocides over time, how and why they appear, whether they tend to appear only at some point in the history of a society (like, right when we can) and then tend not to happen afterwards... eventually I might find some use for our single shot at a civilization and even maybe a Nobel prize for peace (this is purely selfish).

 

[SDetection]

Hi,
I think theoretically we can create entities that are even more conscious than us.

 

[a4mula]

Is this a question of consciousness or perceived evil? I see little point in creation if it cannot be witnessed. Evil is an abstract thought. Without it we could never have good. These are just two labels we created in order to place a scaled perception on what we experience.

If we lived in a "perfect" existence where bad never occurred then we might as well not live at all. We'd be oblivious to the fact that our lives were good because we'd have no basis for judgement. It's just a created concept, that's it. Even without war, rape, drugs, murder or any of the other countless things that people consider "evil" we'd still have to find something to apply the concept of the label to. The closer the two concepts come to one another the less meaning they have. I personally wouldn't want to live in a world where good and evil didn't have clearly defined differences. Zombies of Indifference.

 

[gabrielh]

I would say no. I'd rather let nature take its course. If the circumstances were right for conscious beings, then sure. If they weren't, that's cool too.

 

[Dadface]

If you somehow had control over whether or not you would create conscious beings (or highly complex automata able to "experience"), would you create them?

I wouldn't. Of course, being the conscious being I am, if I were to stumble upon some magical button which, when pressed, would terminate all conscious beings in the Universe, I would find it hard to press it.

In a mutually sort of creative way I have already done it and my children and grandchildren are evidence of that.I did not, however, use a magical button.

 

[WhoWee]

In a mutually sort of creative way I have already done it and my children and grandchildren are evidence of that.I did not, however, use a magical button.

I'm a Dad too, so yes.