[Synapse elist] cymbiosis

[Leonel Moura]

It is always a very feeble argument to accuse 
someone of trying to play God just because he is 
involved with artificial intelligence, robotics, 
genetics or some other scientific or artistic 
creative field. At least it should be taken in 
consideration that for many of us God is not an issue.

Symbiosis, for example, is more interesting at 
least for me. We find it everywhere. 
Mitochondrial, bacteria that live in our guts, 
bees and flowers, trees and mammals. I don't see 
why we shouldn't use the concept to describe the 
relationship between animals and machines or tools.

Of course that not always both pairs of a 
symbiotic relation benefit from it. Sometimes one 
is exploited and it is called parasitism. This 
may be the case of the cockroach from the 
mentioned project. Or my robots that do all the 
painting and I get the fame and the money from selling the works


Anyway Miguel is probably worried with the 
excessive broadening of concepts. Though this is 
a common tendency in art, science and 
contemporary thought. Just consider how the term 
bio is used today. Everything is bio from the yogurt to politics.
And we are not less accurate when needed.