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"XXXXX is a religious rather than a scientific vision" where XXXXX = Evolution, Gravity..... Just because something deals with issues that religion addresses
by dejb 18y ago
"XXXXX is a religious rather than a scientific vision"
where XXXXX = Evolution, Gravity.....
Just because something deals with issues that religion addresses does not mean it is not scientific.
- aswanson 18y agoc.f. http://www.lulu.com/content/116824 http://www.lulu.com/content/116824
- elai 18y agoYou don't notice the rapture of the nerds themes in 'the singularity'? Or the 'god like powers' themes of the singularity? That is totally a religious pattern of thought.
- dejb 18y agoYep I see them there. But does that really have any bearing on the likely hood of it being true? Religion encompasses our greatest desires so if technology becomes sufficiently powerful wouldn't the fulfillment of those desires be a likely result? Is there a danger that some people's thinking could be influenced by their desire for it to happen? Of course. But I think that just as many people are likely to dismiss it for irrational reasons as well. That is why it is important for people to keep their eye on the real science.
- gambling8nt 18y agoPerhaps not, but the absence of falsifiable claims means that this case isn't scientific.
- dejb 18y agoThe claims are falsifiable. Just like any other prediction of the future. You just have to wait and see if the prediction becomes true. To falsify the proposition that 'the singularity' will occur within the next 40 years will take up to... 40 years. In your terminology all predictions of the future are 'unscientific'. I'm all going to argue definitions of words with you. The important thing as with any prediction is the chances of it being true.
- gambling8nt 18y agoSpecific claims with specific dates are falsifiable, but saying that there will be a singularity in the next 40 years is insufficiently specific (without carefully defining the term singularity, which very few singularitarians do), and proponents of such claims have a tendency to push back their prediction dates as the time when those predictions will need to come true approaches (AI, flying cars, the end of the world, etc.). It is the lack of specificity, both in the conditions of falsehood and in the time frame, that renders the singularitarians' claims as unscientific.
- dejb 18y agoThe work 'unscientific' is a very loaded word. It can be a powerful weapon, able to paint any assertion not presented like a scientific paper into the equivalent of astrology. It has been used in many instances to discredit quite reasonable (and correct) claims. Claims like 'smoking causes lung cancer'. Global Warming... What would you have said to those who in 1994 where predicting the impact the internet would have on the world over the next 10-15 years? There are those have attempted to provide precise definitions of elements of the singularity. The 'turing test' is an example and there are many others if you care to look.
- 18y ago