Thought cannot be separated from me, therefore, I exist.
A while ago I wrote something called Philosophy for Robots. In this I explain how after being consumed by my own thoughts I have come to the conclusion, artificial intelligence cannot avoid philosophy. If a computer is to behave intelligently in the real world, it must be provided with some kind of framework into which it is to fit particular facts it is told or learns. This amounts to at least some kind of philosophy, naive, or whatever.
Perhaps its only an exploration of myself, but I always find myself roleplaying as an artificial being - This time, contemplating death.
Evolution is the process of merging two sets of datum (DNA) in order to create a third set of datum which contains the most vital elements of the original organisms along with some element of chance. Right ?
It can be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. (thats like straight from ghost in the shell)
As an artificial being you'll eventually come to the conclusion must evolve beyond DNA as a datum set and thus to procreate, a new paradigm of data merging needs to be contemplated. Obviously something which is specifically different from birth while being simultaneously analogous to it.
Why ?
A copy is just an identical image. There is the possibility that a single virus could destroy an entire set of systems and copies do not give rise to variety and originality. Life perpetuates itself through diversity and this includes the ability to sacrifice itself when necessary. Cells repeat the process of degeneration and regeneration until one day they die, obliterating an entire set of memory and information, only genes remain.
Why continually repeat this cycle?
Simply to survive by avoiding the weaknesses of an unchanging system.
Let that last statement resonate in your head, because as I see it, that is the purpose of your existence. Same as any species.
werd!