From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Wed Aug 30 2000 - 15:04:40 MDT
Al Billings wrote:
>
> Eli wrote:
>
> > What have *you* done with your life, big talker?
>
> Since college? Built a career in the tech industry, got married, had a kid,
> and amassed a decent amount in stock options. I'm certainly not waiting for
> the singularity or the messiah to get on with my life though.
And have you made your mark upon the world? Done anything, anything at all,
to make the world a better place for everyone, not just yourself or your
immediate circle?
Speaking as a Research Fellow of the Singularity Institute, and one whose life
is devoted to creating the Singularity today-not-tomorrow, it always strikes
me as unimaginably preposterous when people react to the concept of the
Singularity by thinking that they've got it made and all they need to do is
wait - but your own attitude is even worse. Best of all is to try to achieve
your dreams, but even fatalistic and useless dreams are better than no dreams
at all. They can be kicked awake if their dream is threatened. You're dead
to the world.
-- -- -- -- --
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky http://singinst.org/home.html
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
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