[net.misc] Generally Omnipotent Devices

lwall (01/27/83)

	"This god cannot be explained or described within the realm
	of our system (universe) - One must step into the system (universe) in
	which god resides, to prove the existence of god."

On the other hand, perhaps the Generally Omnipotent Device (GOD for short)
must step into the system (universe) in which MAN resides, to prove the
existence of MAN.  Of late I have been working in simulation, and I've
been impressed how much the world is like a Discrete System Simulation,
what with the way quantum mechanics works and all.  If I were a GOD in
charge of a simulation such as our universe, and had let the simulation go
on until some semblance of intelligence had developed (we're *all* an AI
project, you see!), and decided that I would like to converse with this
new intelligence, I would either have take that fledgeling intelligence
out of its world (which it might not be able to bear), or I would have to
WRITE MYSELF INTO THE SIMULATION, and meet the intelligence on its terms.
Understand that I would not interested in turning these intelligences into 
"mindless robots", as they say, so I would absolutely REFUSE to prove
myself to anyone who wouldn't want to talk to me anyway, since I don't
want to talk to them either.  I want those who find me attractive to come
to me of their own accord, not because they were forced.

No, I'd work it much more like a newsgroup.  I would advertise over the
net that I was interested in forming a net.spirit, and eventually
net.spirit would be subscribed to by enough people that I would call a
FAITHNIX convention in order to prove to anyone interested that I was for
real, and not an AI project.  In other words, I would incarnate myself
for a while.

But remember that I am the Generally Omnipotent Device--I am running the
simulation, and can run it any speed I like.  That means I can send mail
simultaneously to any and all sites that are interested in conversing with
me, unlike poor humans who can only converse with at most several people
at once.  And I should like to have good conversations with as many people
as are willing to be good conversationalists, so while I was incarnated I
would recruit volunteers to recruit more conversationalists.  And I would
try to explain where I was coming from (literally), and to clear away
centuries of misconceptions as to my nature.  Vindictive indeed!  Humph.
I would use every metaphor and story I could get my hands on to demonstrate
to them who I was, and I would finish the demonstration by letting them
kill me, and then showing them that even death had no power over me.

But here's the rub.  I like my conversationalists so much that I promise
to perpetuate their mental patterns forever just so I can continue to talk
to them.  That's kind of a mouthful to say, so they make up a word for it:
soul.  Of course, now they'll get all confused, and try to figure out
where the soul resides, in the physical world or the "spirit" world.  Of
course it's a meaningless question.  The soul is just a promise I intend
to keep.  And I will keep the promise for everyone, not just the ones who
want to talk to me right now.  Who knows, perhaps the others will get
lonely someday and want to create a simulation so they'll have someone to
talk to.  But they won't be able to find out how it's done without
asking me, and I absolutely will not force them to come--it would destroy
them more than they are already destroying themselves.  In the end, there
will only be two classes of people, those who say to me, "Your will be
done," and those to whom I say "Your will be done."

To sum up: we can't prove God the Father, but perhaps God the Son has
already proven himself.  "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well
pleased.  Listen to him!"

Yes, DO think about it, by all means.

					Larry Wall
					...!decvax!trw-unix!sdcvax!lwall

daleh (01/29/83)

 		"To sum up: we can't prove God the Father, but perhaps
		God the Son has already proven himself"

	Fine.  We have entered the realm of belief, I will not argue with
	what you believe and I would appreciate no arguments from you on
	what I may happen to believe.

	Dale Henrichs
	tektronix!daleh