The Knome quote's OK, but it seems like things like that are part of the reason futurists/transhumanists are looked down on as technorapture nerds rather than taken seriously. sigh
Eliezer Yudkowsky has a blog post in which he references a Crazy Clover Club doujin...
My estimation of the probability that the universe or some powerful entity actively is trying to drive me to solipsism just went up by a factor of ten. Its still pretty low though.
A bit off topic, but a "quotes" post seemed as good a place as anywhere, so...
Anyways, it occurs to me that SPIN seems to be a nice little (perhaps fantasylike)depiction of the notion of intelligence as efficient optimization, seeking through a search space, applying optimization pressure, etc...
"A wizard may have subtle ways of telling the truth, and may keep the truth to himself, but if he says a thing the thing is as he says. For that is his mastery."
-- Ursula K. Leguin, A Wizard of Earthsea
"Neurons firing is something even a slug can do, and has as much to do with thinking as walls and doors have to do with a research institute."
-- Albert Cardona
"Mental toughness and willpower are to living in harmony with the Tao, as the ability to make clever arguments is to rationality."
-- Marcello Herreshoff
"Destiny always has been something that you tear open with your own hands."
-- T-Moon Complex X 02
"When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which I fill and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant and which know me not, I am frightened and am astonished at being here rather than there; for there is no reason why here rather than there, why now rather than then... The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me."
-- Pascal, Pensees
"Goals of Man: ☑ Don't get eaten by a lion ☑ Get out of Africa ☐ Get out of Earth ☐ Get out of Solar System ☐ Get out of Galaxy ☐ Get out of Local Group ☐ Get out of Earth-Visible Universe ☐ Get out of Universe"
-- Knome