I Am Fascinated By Science, Religion, and Philosophy

@Quizzical Would they need to start with something similar to a single celled animal, [i]ie[/i] extremely limited intelligence then evolving more intelligence/function over time? Or would we, the creators, be able to instill a higher level of intelligence from the start?

@Bushranger We are already on the way to creating fully functional AI, so we are beyond the blank slate stage.

They would potentially start out with all human knowledge available to them, but the test will be building experience and utilizing that knowledge.

Not much different from us really except we did it the long way around over millions of years.

@Quizzical I suppose the difference is that we have the opportunity to avoid the blind alleys that slowed down human intellectual development. Alternatively, creating an artificial [i]tabula rasa[/i] may be a very interesting experiment. Would it be possible to use such a system as an analogue for human development?

In terms of religion, there are some theories that it is hard-wired into the human brain. Is it, therefore, a function of a cognitive intelligence or a social construct?

@Bushranger It's not hard-wired into mine, so unless I am an alien I can't see it being hard-wired into anyone's.

Religion is a totally social construct.

@Quizzical I meant as a species, we need something to act as the alpha male of the group. In some cases that may be a strong leader, in others an all powerful God. I'm not saying that I agree completely with the idea, but it could be an interesting discussion point.