bill@utastro.UUCP (10/04/83)
A von Neuman probe is a self-replicating automaton which has been sent out by an intelligent life-form to explore the galaxy in lieu of the personal presence of the life-form. A deadly von Neuman probe is one that, through mutation (e.g., incorrect replication of its program) or design (e.g., deliberate design by the race that made it) is inimical to some or all forms of life. The fear is that such probes might be deliberately sent out by xenophobic races to wipe out planets it detects emitting electromagnetic radiation before the intelligent race on such a planet could become a threat; or that a mutated probe might even produce a race of probes inimical to its creators. There is an interesting article on this and related subjects that appeared just yesterday in my snailbox. It is "The 'Great Silence': the Controversy Concerning Extraterrestrial Life", by Glen David Brin, in the *Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society*, Vol. 24, p. 283 (1983). Bill Jefferys 8-% Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (Snail) ihnp4!kpno!utastro!bill (uucp) utastro!bill@utexas-11 (ARPA)
korfhage@UCLA-ATS@sri-unix.UUCP (10/06/83)
From: Willard Korfhage <korfhage@UCLA-ATS> What is one of these things?
REM@MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP (10/19/83)
From: Robert Elton Maas <REM @ MIT-MC> <Opinion of REM on this doomsday question> Oh, so that's what a "deadly Von Neuman probe" is? Well, I'm not too worried. Generally creatures survive better if they try to use other lifeforms to their advantage than if they destroy all other lifeforms on sight. I rather doubt a dVNp would have much chance of surviving long enough to dominate the Galaxy. I suspect other non-deadly VNps would make better use of the resouces and fill the Galaxy faster. Then when there's no more room to expand and the two VNp races begin competing for the finite Galaxy, the non-deadly VNp race will develop some defense against the dVNp, putting it on par militarily, and the greater ability of the non-deadly VNp to use existing resources will give it the edge in the gallactic war. Regarding a biological race that programs its probes deliberately to destroy all other lifeforms; it's rather easy for a mutation to cause that kind of probe to fail to recognize the race that made it, or for mis-design to cause it to recognize an alien race mistakenly. In the former case, the original race would be exterminated; this likelihood would tend to deter that race from making such a probe in the first place. In the latter case, that alien race would likely be able to kill off the dVNps, ridding the galaxy of them long before we humans came to be (unless by accident the dVNps were created at about the same time we humans came to be; very unlikely).