Sunday, March 8, 2015

My Essential Question

Essential questions are those that probe complex, controversial, and affecting issues. However, these questions are often elaborate and multi-facetedinterdisciplinary in natureand elude a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer, perhaps any answer.

The essential question that I am going to analyze for my final iQuest research paper is threefold: What can we predict about the motivations of what is likely to result from advances in artificial intelligence? How can we control these future entities, and to what extent is our moral obligation to do so?

As essential questions are, again, interdisciplinary in nature, this question is perfect for me because it entails a deep understanding of both philosophy and technology. This question was largely inspired by the works of Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom whom I have been following for a while. He writes on existential risk, human enhancement ethics, superintelligence risk, and consequentialism, all of which interest me.

Though this research paper may take up a large chunk of time, I generally like to write papers because of the sense of material accomplishment, and I am excited to get started. I also believe the information I will find will be useful to me in the future. 

3 comments:

  1. Your question is really big and perhaps it is the beginning of a book you may write at some time in your career. Good luck!

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  2. Andrea!

    Wowza. I am impressed with your essential question and I love seeing your excitement, like Mrs. B said it sounds like the beginning of a great book, and a huge endeavor. I have no doubt in my mind someone as bright as you has got it in you to go through with it.

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  3. I love your essential question, and I can tell you're really enthusiastic about artificial intelligence advances and moral obligations because of your passion to learn about ethics and technology! I'm sure you'll write a fantastic paper! I look forward to knowing what you discover about the potential of artificial intelligence.

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