Value Decisions and the Silicon Valley Approach to Business Ethics

November 26, 2021

I read “Neurobiologist Reveal How Value Decisions Are Coded into Our Brains.” This research project suggests that smart software might be infused with similar functionality. My question, “Who’s doing the training?” The research paper ignores this type of question.

The authors/researchers have focused on an area within the cerebrum called the retrosplenial cortex. The write up states:

The RSC they found, is the site that we use to make value choices such as which restaurant we decide to visit for tonight’s dinner. We then update the RSC with fresh information based on the new impressions of how much we enjoyed the evening’s soup and pasta.

A quick question: If scientists know the region, is it possible to plant a Musk-esque implant in the brains of certain Silicon Valley high technology luminaries. Then, using appropriate signals, could someone pump the contents of a small collection of books related to ethical behavior, moral choice, and judicious decision making?

It has been obvious to me for years that university educations or, in the case of some high tech luminaries, hanging out with people who did attend esteemed institutions like the Epstein funded Massachusetts Institute of Technology, don’t do a good job with the ethics and morality cognitive functions.

Greed is good is a snappy phrase, and it seems to be the mantra of a coterie of digital wizards who like to win when playing Monopoly with their family.

Let’s give the implant some thought and work on the morality input functionality. Oh, oh, one problem. What if these luminaries don’t have a well formed retrosplenial cortex? Bummer.

Stephen E Arnold, November 26, 2021

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