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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   3228 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 9, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Let's say I'm put in charge of a government-sponsored group tasked with ensuring newborn babies come out of the womb as close as possible to a fully functioning member of society. Ideally this means they can walk, talk, feed themselves, etc. I have unlimited resources and there are no IRBs to stop experimentation. I have also gained immortality so I can see this project through to its completion.

What is the general procedure to get babies closer to self-reliance and how close do you think they could get?

(I've always wondered why we seem to be some of the only animals in the kingdom to not be self-sufficient immediately upon birth and what we can do about it.)

How do you define the boundary between the infant and the rest of the world? Would it count to have an exosuit which can recognize and fulfill the needs of the infant, communicate the specifics of the infant's needs and desires to others, and offer further functionality which the infant can learn to use?

I don't think an exosuit counts: the baby must be fully detached from any sort of support, biological or artificial.

I would totally watch MechBabies though!

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