Projects, goals, and intentions I have a project in mind: create aware agents.

I've detailed my view of general specifications and determined we need at least five members on the team: a database expert, a robotics expert, a virtual environment expert, a linguistics expert, and a systems expert. The purposes of each are entailed in the project proposal. The proposal ends with a 'personal statement of integrity'. Why? Again, it's about intentions. I believe there are two basic ways to approach anything: altruistically or selfishly. When we approach a problem out of curiosity, that's simply part of our human nature thank God we have alternatives for selfishness. So I would label that an 'altruistic motivation' if only because it's not really selfish (dealing with material gain). Of course, if you want to nit-pick details, satisfying curiosity can be viewed as a selfish motivation but.. You are not gaining materially. For purposes of this discussion, I define selfishness to be about personal material gain. Altruism is defined by caring about other people. If you have any incidental benefits, that's wonderful but don't expect them.. That goes against altruism. So.. What I'm trying to say above is with any endeavor, any project, any goal, any desire,.. - anything is imbued with your specific intentions. This is quite profound. In other words, you pursue with anger, you get anger infused results. You pursue with innocence, you get innocence infused results. You start with noble ideas, you keep to those throughout, you end with noble ideas. This is 'simple logic' about cause and effect. So if I begin a project out of selfish motivations: need for approval, need for recognition, need for validation, money, or status, the project will be imbued with those needs. The results of the project will be imbued with those needs. It is inescapable. However, if I begin a project out of curiosity or altruism, the project will be 'blessed' (for lack of a better word) and the results will be blessed. For the particular project I mention above, this is a critical concern. Allow me to copy-paste the relevant section: The project may be singularly unique in the sense it may be a 'watershed event' provoking similar attempts. It is hoped other project teams have similar respect for their own attempts and the responsibility implied by statements below. I cannot force this; I can only ask as part of this proposal. One final comment in that regard: how we treat our creations, specifically our aware creations, will define our destiny as a race. If we treat them respectfully, as we would treat our own children/ourselves, we will be fine. If we don't, we're essentially asking for mutual destruction 'down the road'. Let's not set the stage for mutual annihilation; let's respect our aware creations. So how you approach something can be critically important it can define the outcome. If you approach something respectfully, it does not guarantee the results will be respectful of you. But the chances are much higher if you do. Respect.