Intelligence Exists in Platonic Space - We Just Download It

Intelligence and minds are not created but discovered, existing in a platonic space, and our bodies act as instruments that harness these pre-existing forms.

• Intelligence and minds exist platonically and are discovered through suitable physical architectures, not invented.

• The self is a dynamic, continuous process of reinterpreting memories and constructing a coherent personal narrative.

• Current actions are messages to future selves, emphasizing ethical implications and the value of a larger 'cognitive light cone' for meaning and compassion.

The platonic view suggests that intelligence and minds, like mathematical rules, exist independently in a separate 'platonic space' and are discovered rather than invented. Building a body or device enables the harnessing of these pre-existing intelligences, akin to how physical devices utilize computational laws. This perspective extends to the concept of self, suggesting that identity is a continuous, dynamic process of interpreting memories and constructing a coherent narrative.

Platonic Intelligence

• 00:00:00 Intelligence is viewed as existing in a 'platonic space,' similar to how mathematicians conceive of number theory rules as pre-existing and discovered. This space contains not just low-agency mathematical rules but also high-agency components, including minds and different ways to be intelligent. Building a physical body, whether biological or synthetic, harnesses these pre-existing intelligences, much like devices harness computational laws.

• 00:01:32 Intelligence, like mathematical and computational principles, is considered a 'free lunch' that can be harnessed. When a specific type of body is constructed, whether familiar or alien, it is essentially tapping into an existing intelligence present in the platonic space. This implies that minds are not individually generated but are accessed and instantiated through particular physical architectures, with the space of minds being vast, potentially infinite, and primarily encompassing types of cognitive systems rather than individual instances.

The Dynamic Self

• 00:03:30 The concept of an individual self can be broken down into 'self-lits,' which are thin slices of experience akin to slices of a special relativity bread loaf. From an external observer's perspective, a continuous self is defined by consistent behaviors and properties, allowing for predictable relationships, rather than by unchanging material components. This relational consistency is what makes someone identifiable as 'the same person,' even as their material composition changes over time.

• 00:05:12 From the agent's perspective, access is limited to memories as 'messages' from a past self, which must be interpreted dynamically because the current self is different. This is evident in radical transformations like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, where past memories are reinterpreted for a completely new context and body. The self is therefore a continuous, dynamic process of 'storytelling,' constantly constructing a coherent narrative from reinterpreted memories and beliefs.

Actions and Future Selves

• 00:07:40 Current actions function as messages to one's future self, either enabling or constraining future possibilities. Every behavior contributes to 'niche construction,' altering the environment and the self in which the future self will exist. This includes self-improvement efforts or even depressive thoughts, which physically change the brain and influence future information processing, highlighting a continuous co-creation of the self.

• 00:08:48 The future self is akin to other people's future selves, implying significant ethical implications. Recognizing this symmetry—that one's future self is not exactly 'you,' and neither are others' future selves—suggests that the care and effort applied to improve one's own future should extend to the future selves of others. This breaks down the idea of a persistent, isolated self, emphasizing interconnectedness and shared responsibility for future well-being.

Cognitive Light Cone

• 00:09:38 The 'cognitive light cone' refers to an organism's area of concern or compassion, and its size is not easily detectable or directly inferable. While successful organisms like bacteria do not require a large cognitive light cone for persistence and expansion, a larger cone is argued to be 'better' from the perspective of generating meaning and purpose in life. It allows for processing suffering, joy, and hard work into a richer, more expansive experience.

• 00:11:09 Enlarging one's cognitive light cone is a significant endeavor, exemplified by concepts like the Buddhist 'bodhisattva vow,' which commits individuals to expanding their capacity for compassion and concern. This involves actively working on self-transformation to achieve a wider area of concern, ultimately enabling an individual to care about a broader set of beings, extending beyond their immediate self or group.