On a Possible Basis for Metaphysical Self-development in Natural and Artificial Systems

Abstract

Recent research into the nature of self in artificial and biological systems raises interest in a uniquely determining immutable sense of self, a “metaphysical ‘I’” associated with inviolable personal values and moral convictions that remain constant in the face of environmental change, distinguished from an object “me” that changes with its environment. Complementary research portrays processes associated with self as multimodal routines selectively enacted on the basis of contextual cues informing predictive self or world models, with the notion of the constant, per-vasive and invariant sense of self associated with a multistable attractor set aiming to ensure personal integrity against threat of disintegrative change. This paper proposes that an immutable sense of self emerges as a global attractor which can be described as a project ideal self-situation embodied in frontal medial processes during more or less normal adolescent development, and that thereafter serves to orient agency in the more or less free development of embodied potentials over the life course in effort to realize project conditions, phenomenally identified with the felt pull towards this end as purpose of and source of meaning in life. So oriented, life-long self-development aims to embody solutions to problems at different timescales depending on this embodied purpose, ultimately in the service of evolutionary processes securing organism populations against threats of disintegrative change over timespans far beyond that of the individual. After characterizing the target sense of self, research circling this target is briefly surveyed. Self as global project and developmental neural correlates are proposed. Then, the paper discusses some implications for research in biological and artificial systems. Building from earlier work in cognitive neurorobotics, discussion affirms the value of reinforcement rituals including prayer in metaphysical self-development, considers implications for value alignment and rights associated with free will in the context of artificial intelligence and robot religion, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of self-development toward project ideals as source of meaning in life in the current social-political environment.

Philosophy and Computing Conference at IS4SI 2021

“…Several persons in the audience found Mark Waser's presentation on "Philosophy in the Age of Blockchain" particularly important for the present time-up to date, technically very competent and ethically sensitive. The session ended with the paper "Finding the "I" with AI-modeling self and its place in the natural order" by Jeffrey White [4].…”

“…Stephen Thaler, The Artificial Sentience Behind Artificial Inventors. Abstract: Using a new artificial neural network paradigm called vast topological learning [4], a multitude of artificial neural networks bind themselves into chains that geometrically encode complex concepts along with their anticipated consequences. As certain nets called "hot buttons" become entangled with these chains, simulated volume neurotransmitter release takes place, selectively reinforcing the most advantageous of such topologically expressed ideas.…”