> I really don't think we should strike at SETI. For one thing, it's a
> perfectly legitimate endeavor, even if they're doing it for different
> reasons. For another thing, perhaps, say, the New Agers are more our
> natural enemies than people who don't measure up to Singularitarian
> standards in every possible respect.
I find it kind of ironic that any "singularitarian" would ridicule SETI; it's precisely the same kind of total speculation. Sure, it seems like common sense that exponential progress will continue as it has, and that there's nothing special about meat-minds that can't be done with metal-minds; just as it seems like common sense that we shouldn't be unique in the universe, and that aliens will share with us some basic ideas of math and physics and communication. I firmly believe all of those myself (or at least most of them).
But there's really no solid evidence for any of those things. I'm glad there are people willing to invest time and money searching for things they may never find; some of them get lucky and benefit us all. But let's be honest: the only reason to do such a thing is romance, not rationality. We shouldn't begrudge others their own esthetics.
-- Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html> "All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past, are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC