> A "cold start" of a complex system isn't just about replicating the system itself, it's about replicating the conditions that gave rise to it.
True, but we also know the usefulness of what is beyond certain points so we don't have to do the stochastic walk through the economics to get there.
We know we want the printing press. We know we want glass. We know we want antibiotics. We know we want steam engines. We know we want electricity. We know we would want steel. etc.
Since we know that steam engines are useful, we don't have to wait for knowledge to get good enough and materials to get good enough to make them economically viable so we can gain the knowledge that putting them to general use is valuable. see: The Cotton Gin--anybody could have made it, but until the demand for cotton was sufficient there was no reason to take the risk.
Avoiding the technologic stochastic walk would be a big deal.
True, but we also know the usefulness of what is beyond certain points so we don't have to do the stochastic walk through the economics to get there.
We know we want the printing press. We know we want glass. We know we want antibiotics. We know we want steam engines. We know we want electricity. We know we would want steel. etc.
Since we know that steam engines are useful, we don't have to wait for knowledge to get good enough and materials to get good enough to make them economically viable so we can gain the knowledge that putting them to general use is valuable. see: The Cotton Gin--anybody could have made it, but until the demand for cotton was sufficient there was no reason to take the risk.
Avoiding the technologic stochastic walk would be a big deal.