It is in! I feel like the guy in this strange gown!
Monday, June 5, 2006 at 11:53AM 
I give glory to God for helping me to get it done! There were many times where I thought of packing it in.... But by the grace of God, here am I! Praise God that it is done! So, from now on Dr. D! Or, Dr. Forster went to Glouchester in a shower of rain (and all that....)! Ha ha! Just kidding!
So, here are the Abstract and more importantly the acknowledgements (and thanks)!
Abstract:
The notion of identity has always been central to the human person's understanding of self. The question 'who am I'? is fundamental to human being. Answers to this question have come from a wide range of academic disciplines. Philosophers, theologians, scientists, sociologists and anthropologists have all sought to offer some insight.
The question of individual identity has traditionally been answered from two broad perspectives. The objectivist approach has sought to answer the question through empirical observation - you are a mammal, you are a homo-sapien, you are male, you are African etc. The subjectivist approach has sought to answer the question through phenomenological exploration - I understand myself to be sentient, I remember my past, I feel love etc.
A recent development in the field of computer science has however shown a shortcoming in both of these approaches. Ray Kurzweil, a theorist in strong artificial intelligence, suggests the possibility of an interesting identity crisis. He suggests that if a machine could be programmed and built to accurately and effectively emulate a person's conscious experience of being 'self' it could lead to a crisis of identity. In an instance where the machine and the person it is emulating cannot be either objectively distinguished (i.e., both display the same characteristics of the person in question), or subjectively distinguish themselves (i.e., both believe themselves to be the 'person in question' since both have an experience of being that person. This experience could be based on memory, emotion, understanding and other subjective realities) how is the true identity of the individual validated? What approach can be employed in order to distinguish which of the two truly is the 'person in question' and which is the 'emulation of that person'?
This research investigates this problem and presents a suggested solution to it. The research begins with an investigation of the claims of strong artificial intelligence and discusses Ray Kurzweil's hypothetical identity crisis. It also discusses various approaches to consciousness and identity, showing both their value and shortfall within the scope of this identity conundrum. In laying the groundwork for the solution offered in this thesis, the integrative theory of Ken Wilber is presented as a model that draws on the strengths of the objectivist and subjectivist approaches to consciousness, yet also emphasises the need for an approach which is not only based on individual data (i.e., the objectivist - you are, or subjectivist - I am). Rather, it requires an intersubjective knowing of self in relation to others.
The outcome of this research project is an African Theological approach to self-validating consciousness in strong artificial intelligence. This takes the form of an African Theology of relational ontology. The contribution falls within the ambit of Christian anthropology and Trinitarian theology - stressing the Christian belief that true identity is both shaped by, and discovered in, relationship with others. The clearest expression of this reality is to be found in the African saying Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (A person is a person through other persons).
Key words:
Identity, artificial intelligence, strong artificial intelligence, Moore's law, Turing test, the law of accelerating returns, consciousness, objective, subjective, neuro-theology, integral theory, holon, Holarchy, quadrant, non-dual, perennial philosophy, ubuntu, African, intersubjective, relational ontology, Trinity, anthropology, Soteriology, perichoresis
Acknowledgements: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu - We are, therefore I am.
I am deeply indebted to Professor Cornel W du Toit who has patiently listened to me, carefully and critically read my work, and wisely directed my discoveries in this research project. He is a highly regarded scholar and a deeply valued mentor.
I also gratefully acknowledge the input of my colleagues in the Education for Ministry and Mission Unit of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa - the Reverends Victor Tshangela, Charmaine Morgan, Sidwell Mokgothu, Madika Sibeko, Phidian Matsepe, Ruth Jonas, and Neville Richardson. I am thankful for the time and freedom I have been given over the last three years to complete this research project. I thank the Reverends Peter Grassow and Peter Woods for challenging me to think outside of the box, yet remain true to the Christian faith. My close friends George Marchinkowski and Christopher Judelsohn, are a constant source of inspiration - always reminding me that theology is the servant of the Church. In the process of the research I have learned a great deal from my students at John Wesley College and the University of South Africa, many of who have a far better understanding of the concept of community and ubuntu than I will ever have. I am thankful for the prayers and support of the members of the Bryanston Methodist Church. You minister to me so much more than I could ever minister to you. I want to thank the following friends and colleagues for their guidance, encouragement, and practical advice: Doctors Kevin Snyman, Derek Verrier, Neville Richardson, Jennifer Slater, Wessel Bentley and Professor Louise Kretzschmar. I also wish to acknowledge the input Professors Dirkie Smit (Stellenbosch), Ernst Conradie (UWC), Wentzel van Huyssteen (Princeton), and Fraser Watts (Cambridge) who helped to shape and form the initial thoughts that lead to this research. They invested time and energy in me. They gracefully listened to my fledgling attempts at articulating what I felt but could not yet express.
The expression of theological concepts is a complex task, and even more so when one struggles with a poor grasp of English grammar! I am eternally grateful to Mrs Joan Hartshorne, my aunt, for her masterful skill in framing my thoughts and sharpening my use of the English language.
I need to pay tribute to my family who have shaped my identity and constantly bless me with the gift of life. I deeply value my parents Ian and Margaret Forster, who encouraged me to follow my calling in ministry. Brian and Brenda Seviour for accepting me into their family, for their prayers and interest in my work. To my wife Megan, and daughter Courtney, whose loving care and sincere Christian faith are the closest things to ubuntu I have ever experienced. Without you I am not.
And then to my great ancestor, the firstborn of creation, Jesus Christ - to him I owe not just my gratitude; I owe him my whole life.
PS. I have no idea whose picture this is. I got it from the Birchs website (those who studied at Rhodes should remember Birchs').... God bless him! He looks happy, like me! I hope I get a gown just like his!
Reader Comments (3)
Would man then program morality or is it could allow it to be developed. There is an unknown in our identity; different people subjected to the same environment develop differently. So in theory as shared consciousness would not necessarily create an identical thought process.
http://vocalandopinionated.blogspot.com/
Well done! Where can I get a copy? Hope that this is only the beginning of a Systematic Theology.
shit - I cannot understand half of this stuff: you are such a bright spark. The only bit I understood was the gown. Great for clubbing: especially at the Bronx in Cape Town.