From: Dan Clemmensen (Dan@Clemmensen.ShireNet.com)
Date: Fri Apr 09 1999 - 16:28:16 MDT
Lyle Burkhead wrote:
> No, what's bothering me here is the problem of motivation. If it's going
> to happen anyway, why should I spend my time and money trying to make it
> happen? It would make more sense for me to work on things that are
> contingent, i.e. things that may or may not happen depending on what I do
> or don't do.
>
The Singularity is inevitable, but its timing is not. if we can advance
it, we should, for several reasons. One big reason is that the singularity
won't do mush for the people who die before it occurs, and one of them might
by you. Another is that we are very likely to be in a race between the
singularity and some other intrinsic (war, plague, etc.) or extrinsic
(comet, gamma-ray burster) cataclysm. Another reason is that we may be able
to influence the course of the singularity and perhaps ease the transition.
I personally don't think so, but we need some deeper thinking on this
topic. If there is a difference between a "good" singularity and a "bad"
singularity, or a "good" transition and a "bad" one, and if we can influence
it, then that becomes the last and most important job for humanity.
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