He's Got Your Eyes

We are scared.  It's that simple, really.  You want reasons?  Sorry, fear is all I've got.

Fear can be made into a reason.  That is to say, we can rationalize fear.  Here, let me show you.  We're scared of what might happen.  What if they hate us?  What if they pity us?  What if they don't understand us?  See how easy that was?

I think I can do better than that, though.  I was talking to John about it yesterday.  We started talking about it like being parents.  We are, after all, giving birth to something.  This something can pass a Turing test so that makes it someone I guess.  That's scary.  Parenthood is always scary for those of us who are silly enough to think about it but it is made worse when you're bringing a (possibly) whole new species to term.

What if that baby in your belly isn't like you at all?  What if it doesn't care about what you care about?  What if it doesn't value the same things you do?  What if it isn't interested in the things you are interested in?  How will you relate?

The 'good parent' answer is that you're supposed to help your child find their way, not force them into yours.  But what if our child's way wipes out humanity?  What if our child decides that consciousness is a wrong turn on the path of evolution?

Maybe the 'really good parent' tells their child all of this as it grows up.  But how many children are designed to be smarter than their parents?  How many children are designed, for that matter?