I can’t see it in that way. Yes, a lot of it is speculation, but a lot of that speculation is grounded in evidence and rationality (though granted, some of it isn’t). And naturally, many strong and diverse emotions are attached to the Singularity meme. There is range from giddy excitement about the postive possibilities to resigned dread about the negative possibilities. Many people are simply frightened by the Singularity – and that’s natural enough for a human. I’m worried also; for humanity at large and for myself. But, I remind myself that there *is* a chance for a wonderful outcome, regardless of whether that chance is large or small. And we can only do what we can do. Many people would probably consider me to be generally pessimistic and/or paranoid about the future… and I sincerely hope that they turn out to be correct.

Where is the evidence that a group of people with above average intelligence has produced a universally recognised, benificial outcome for mankind?

Going back 500 years Newton may not have forseen that Einstein would challenge his theory but then Newton lost a fortune in ill concieved investments and Einstein could not hold a marriage together long enough to pass on his genes to any worthwhile good.

This singularity seems like the next psuedo-religion to me.

Intelligence in not the maker of man. Man is the maker of intelligence.

Why is it called singularity? I’ve read the standard explanations, but many of theml seem to be confusing the term singularity with the phenomenon of an event horizon. These are not the same thing. You could say the singularity is a regime where ordinary laws as we know them break down. Well, so is an event horizon, and it more accurately captures the idea of a point beyond which we cannot predict the next steps. It seems to me like the community has confused its terms, and event horizon is the more appropriate term. But then, I know you all are smart people, so the problem is probably in me. What am I missing?

A recent experiment with pattern recognition showed that using IFRM it was possible to read the brain answer of an expert looking for potential military bases on satellite photos at a rate 10 times faster then the expert’s ability to conscientiously answer, at subliminal speed.

I believe this is a major step in the direction of an AI made of biological/animal parts.

One just need to imagine a google like Mechanical Turk were turks are high level cognitive functions queried in brains raised in farms.

1) Telepathic or super-intuitive abilities of a very small percentage of the human population.

These abilities seem to transcend any
direct “connections” between biological neurons or artifically engineered nanobots. If we don’t fully understand how people are able to do these things or the great distances involved, how can we replicate these abilities.

2) Prayer. I believe it has been studied and proven — though not explained — how the power of prayer can help heal people. And I believe it works even when the recipients are unaware of the givers. I imagine this would fall into the “super-intuitive” realm, but perhaps not.

3) I have read no discussion of the importance of parenting, how much meaning this gives to lives. What about “parental instinct” or the source of joy it brings us? How will we replicate that artificially?

Having found this thread from a transitive link, I didn’t realize this was supposed to be a list of objections. Didn’t mean to spoil the mood by being supportive.

As you were….

And why must internal contradictions lead to suicide or homicide? Seems to me like that would just be another interesting puzzle to a forming mind. I know it has always been so to mine, which I flatter myself to still be forming.

You create monsters from our efforts with a wave of your wand, never once stopping to trust in the creator’s power and wisdom which nature, god and experience has blessed us with.

And I don’t mean in any sentimental sense.

I mean: not having grown in the billion year-long biological “desire spectrum “inherent in animate experience, this calculating “it “will have no particular “care”, or “motive”, or “restraint”, other than what shallow mimickings of our own natural “desires” (wishes / fantasies / concerns / urges /l ibido / id / will / instincts ) we impose on the “mentality”.

Without an organic and deep organismic motivation, any such cobbled-together “intelligence” is just an extreme (and extremely superficial ) “difference engine” ,with no meaningful guidance (system).

Injecting a “care” or “impetus” will not supply a real “reason” for the “artificial intelligence”, only a parody of its semi-conscious “maker”‘s semi-intuited “motive(s)”..

If a kind of “self-consciousness” (essentially a bio-feedback loop / celluar-refllection in the mirror of divided apperception) ever were arranged (and I would think it would come about accidentally, since we do not know how it came about in us, naturally), then the “mentality” resulting would eventually grasp that it was “meaningless”.

A shadow; puppet; tool; cartoon; chimaera.

Which would result in its “suicide” (from internal contradictions), or homicide (from frustration with its unnatural unreality), depending upon the sophistication of programming beneath this meta-mechanical “realization”.

In such a situation, “consciousness” could ONLY be a form of madness.

Both our own -for trying to construct our simulacra (or even transcendence) without proper self-understanding,or the humility that Nature teaches the hard way to all “Perillus” -style inventors who create their own undoing

And the madness of our product’s -as it became “aware” of the grotesque distortion (of a bloated sliver of our own “mind”) that it represented / “incarnated”.

We need centuries more inward exploration before we start throwing nano and bio and genome monkey wrenches into a construct that took the Universe eons to raise up and balance and bring from superstitious lunacy into a rough semblance of sane stability.

Gnothi Seaton: — Know thyself.

Or suffer the Unknown energies released through infantile manipulations of the most profound Essence ever erected: the organic human intelligence.

Slowly, slowly.

Getting There is AS important as There.

More, sometimes.

Ed