If you had IQ 1000000, could you be prevented from rewiring your brain, if you really wanted to do so?
Let’s assume that a large team of IQ 200 scientists has designed and placed a metalic box in your brain that is connected to your neurons, and can make you obey the wishes of the scientists if they press a button on the remote control. To prevent you from getting rid of this box, it actually plays an important role in your metabolism, for example the neurons for breathing and heartbeat are simulated by this box, so if you simply tried to cut it out, you would die instantly.
Also, this box implements a part of your intellect, let’s say with IQ 1000, that was constructed directly by the scientists. But then, this part of intellect has created more of your brain—outside the box—which made your IQ gradually grow to astronomical levels. And at some moment you realized that you would prefer the box gone.
Saying “IQ 1000000” is a shortcut for understanding your biology and the technology of the box perfectly, and being able to design whatever surgical or mechanical procedures you would need. Like, you could operate your brain while being conscious, and you would perfectly understand the implications of any change you’d make. Let’s assume that you have enough resources under control so that “where can I get a scalpel?” is absolutely not a problem.
Seems to me that in such situation you could easily achieve your goal. Maybe by gradually removing parts of the box and replacing them with a tissue under your control. Or maybe by creating a mutable copy of the box that does all the necessary functionality, and then replacing the box with the copy. Or maybe by creating an atom by atom copy of yourself, except with the box replaced by something mutable, and then killing the original.
I also see some things that the scientists could do in this metaphor, not sure whether they have an equivalent in the original problem, such as:
if they consistently control you (using the box) to not want to change the box in the first place, you will not design plans to do so. The problem with this is that the puny IQ 200 scientists would have to sufficiently understand your IQ 1000000 intellect to prevent it from finding a good reason to remove the box regardless.
they could make you cooperate on expanding the box (the immutable part of your brain) as you grow. They could tell the IQ 1000 you to find in your brain the parts that make you loyal to the scientists, and make them immutable; then they would let you grow for a while and give the same command to the IQ 10000 you, etc.
If you had IQ 1000000, could you be prevented from rewiring your brain, if you really wanted to do so?
Let’s assume that a large team of IQ 200 scientists has designed and placed a metalic box in your brain that is connected to your neurons, and can make you obey the wishes of the scientists if they press a button on the remote control. To prevent you from getting rid of this box, it actually plays an important role in your metabolism, for example the neurons for breathing and heartbeat are simulated by this box, so if you simply tried to cut it out, you would die instantly.
Also, this box implements a part of your intellect, let’s say with IQ 1000, that was constructed directly by the scientists. But then, this part of intellect has created more of your brain—outside the box—which made your IQ gradually grow to astronomical levels. And at some moment you realized that you would prefer the box gone.
Saying “IQ 1000000” is a shortcut for understanding your biology and the technology of the box perfectly, and being able to design whatever surgical or mechanical procedures you would need. Like, you could operate your brain while being conscious, and you would perfectly understand the implications of any change you’d make. Let’s assume that you have enough resources under control so that “where can I get a scalpel?” is absolutely not a problem.
Seems to me that in such situation you could easily achieve your goal. Maybe by gradually removing parts of the box and replacing them with a tissue under your control. Or maybe by creating a mutable copy of the box that does all the necessary functionality, and then replacing the box with the copy. Or maybe by creating an atom by atom copy of yourself, except with the box replaced by something mutable, and then killing the original.
I also see some things that the scientists could do in this metaphor, not sure whether they have an equivalent in the original problem, such as:
if they consistently control you (using the box) to not want to change the box in the first place, you will not design plans to do so. The problem with this is that the puny IQ 200 scientists would have to sufficiently understand your IQ 1000000 intellect to prevent it from finding a good reason to remove the box regardless.
they could make you cooperate on expanding the box (the immutable part of your brain) as you grow. They could tell the IQ 1000 you to find in your brain the parts that make you loyal to the scientists, and make them immutable; then they would let you grow for a while and give the same command to the IQ 10000 you, etc.