Virtual Life -- Introduction ( Part I )

One of the elevators in my company ( it has five floors) has certain problem in its floor-indicator. Some time it keeps showing 0 digit only, some time it goes to 0-1-2, and then it sticks to 2. However, there are times when it shows no problem. I don't know exactly what kind of logical mechanism ( is it based on sensors; some kind of speedometer is used or crossing a level gives some information to the system ) assists the floor indicator, nevertheless I, like any other person, can point out that the system has got into problem. However, the observation that the system is not indicating digits correctly, does not mean that that its logical fabric is completely torn out, rather the sections of the floor-indicator which decides on changing indicating values, may not be getting correct values through the assisting physical mechanism( sensors/speedometer/? ). In retrospect, a common presumption about any machine we have seen is that their logical fabric remains intact, provided the elements of logic fabric has not been altered by man or nature. This means systems do not change themselves. Or in exact terms, a machine cannot give birth ( like the biological process fission ) of other machines, on its own; and this I am stating in terms of a statement. This means, I am not defining machines as entities which cannot give birth; rather it is just an observation that machines cannot give birth.

Now consider movement of an elevator (whose indicator has no problem) in my company; it can be --- 0,1,0,1,2,3,4,3,2,3,4,5,4,3,4... Successive numbers will differ by 1, and the sequence will reflect some aspects of people, their work, floors, elevator's location. The sequence of output from the given machine, is a reflection of human being process. A little thinking tells us that output of a machine, depends also on property of machine. Consider a third entity who just sees machine's output. If, suppose, we have a scale to call something human or machine, how much point we will attribute to human factor or machine factor? Can a machine scale on human factor, without interaction with human being?

These questions have very deep consequences, and since this blog is non-technical in nature, we will explore things in not-so-mathematical sense. Nevertheless, I presume that we will not take words like Love, Anger, Happiness or Passion in very confused sense, in the series of posts under the label "virtual life"; and we will solely explore the interaction among human beings via machines ( often supported by a vast logical system ). Virtual world, and hence corresponding virtual life (which we will define gradually) is a part of the actual world. So far, the existence of Virtual world out of real world seems to be illogical; though, yes, any concrete conclusion requires some brainstorming analysis.

Some of the posts now onwards, will be on Virtual Life.