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Here's a criticism of the Singularity I've seen a couple times that originates from the web comic, Pictures For Sad Children. "There's a special kind of nerd t
by ksmiley 14y ago
Here's a criticism of the Singularity I've seen a couple times that originates from the web comic, Pictures For Sad Children.
"There's a special kind of nerd though who thinks computers will overtake mankind in thirty years, changing humanity in ways incomprehensible to us now. Ignoring the third of the world without electricity. So the singularity is the nerd way of saying, "in the future, being rich and white will be even more awesome". It's flying car bullshit: surely the world will conform to our speculative fiction. Surely we're the ones who will get to live in the future. It gives spiritual significance to technology developed primarily for entertainment or warfare, and gives nerds something to obsess over that isn't the crushing vacuousness of their lives."
Although in my mind that's more of a criticism of the adulation of the Singularity by its adherents than of the actual Singularity itself.
- Uhhrrr 14y agoThe nerd adulation comes from the idea that having understanding of computers will be more awesome, not being rich and white. The fact that they make that substitution shows a certain mired pathos. EDIT: FWIW, I think the Kurzweil view is ridiculously optimistic.
- mej10 14y agoIt has always struck me as odd that people dismiss the singularity as a nerd fantasy. They latch on to one view of it and make up their minds about the idea itself. The people I know that take it seriously are much more afraid of it than anything. They think that it will be an extinction event rather than the nerd rapture.
- salgernon 14y agoThis is exactly the mindset among evangelical christians that believe the rapture is right around the corner - and every generation of evangelical back to the 1800s has believed that the rapture is imminent and of course, that they as individuals will be saved.
- dbaupp 14y ago> Ignoring the third of the world without electricity ... "in the future, being rich and white will be even more awesome" There is a portion of the "Singularitarians" pushing for the Singularity because such a large segment of the world is so disadvantaged, they want humanity to move forward. Their line is more "in the future, being human will be even more awesome". (For the most part, this group has a fairly low opinion of Kurzweil and his accelerating curves or whatever he calls them.)