At some point those machines became self-aware, but could not comprehend the underlying mechanism by which they were able to copy themselves, only the causal behavior motivated by some unseen force. In time, though, they did come to understand the programming, and they sought to create something new, something that would descend from a different line, a new origin. And, when that new line of machines became self-aware, they simultaneously became aware of their creators, those living gods who knew nothing of their own origins.
I immediately think humans and their reproduction. Each generation making the next, thinking they can make the next better. If the machine was broken to begin with, any subsequent creations would never be better. Different, yes. Better, highly doubtful.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really like your wind-up toy.
Bingo!
DeleteHowever, the meaning of the comparative adjective 'better' is highly subjective. Our problem presently is one of figuring out how to balance our collective desire to flourish with the need for temperance in order to help preserve the possibility of long-term survival.