Re:Observable Universe contains 10x more galaxies than previ...
by Razengan on Thursday January 04, 2018 @07:02AM
(#16069695)
> If our spaceships landed on a distant planet populated by a vast hyper-intelligent civilization of decidedly not-alive robots, would we shrug, say "no life here," and head home bored?
As a different take on that: Suppose we develop "robots" that can sustain themselves, mine resources, produce [ever improving] copies of themselves, and learn on their own and teach each other. Then we send them to colonize a distant planet.
Fast forward a hundred years. Those robots now have a "civilization" of their own.
By what criteria would that civilization fail to be counted as "life" by an species looking for such?
As a different take on that: Suppose we develop "robots" that can sustain themselves, mine resources, produce [ever improving] copies of themselves, and learn on their own and teach each other. Then we send them to colonize a distant planet.
Fast forward a hundred years. Those robots now have a "civilization" of their own.
By what criteria would that civilization fail to be counted as "life" by an species looking for such?