Technological Singularity
The Technological Singularity is a hypothetical future time when technological change becomes so rapid that humans, as we now are, will no longer have any practical capacity for prediction or control. This may occur as a result of the development of general artificial intelligence, capable of recursive self-improvement. It would be a momentous milestone in human evolution, presenting unprecedented risks and opportunities, likely leading either to our extinction or to our transformation into superhumanity. The idea was popularized by Ray Kurzweil in his book, The Singularity Is Near.
This is a list of articles that Lincoln Cannon has written about the Technological Singularity. A full archive of all articles that Lincoln has published since 2005 is also available. You may also search for articles and other content that's available on any of Lincoln's websites.
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The Transfiguration Is Near
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul prophesies about the end of death, forth-telling (yes, “forth-telling” in contrast to “fore-telling”) ...
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4 Reasons I Don't Identify as a Singularitarian
When others learn that I identify as a Transhumanist, or when they see me reference Moore’s Law or Kurzweil’s Law ...
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Ray Kurzweil and the Postsecularization Hypothesis
Ray Kurzweil is evidence for the postsecularization hypothesis: religion is not at all dying, but is merely continuing to evolve. ...
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The Singularity Doesn't Need Paul Allen to Understand
Like others before him, Paul Allen says that the “singularity is not near.” We will not anytime soon engineer computers ...
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The Singularity Doesn't Require Understanding
Neuroscientist David Linden challenges the timeline (but not the feasibility) of Ray Kurzweil’s predictions, and argues that “The Singularity is ...
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Speculating Around Speculative Singularity Roadblocks
In his book Physics of the Future, Michio Kaku outlines six roadblocks to the Singularity. The roadblocks are at least ...
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Technological Singularity as Religious Ideology
Matthew Bailey writes for H+ Magazine, provoking attention with the title “The Technological Singularity as Religious Ideology” and then quickly ...
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You Don't Intuit Accelerating Technological Change
Regularly, in both professional and personal settings, I have the opportunity to discuss accelerating technological change. For the most part, ...
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My son asks, what will computers be like in 2033?
My oldest son recently won the science fair with his project on Moore’s Law and accelerating technological change. He and ...
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The Accelerating Exponent of Kurzweil's Law
Kurzweil’s Law (generalizing from Moore’s Law) observes that technology changes exponentially as new technologies contribute toward increasing the rate of ...
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TransVision Thursday Keynote Ray Kurzweil
I’m in Chicago for TransVision 2007. Here are some notes and thoughts from Ray Kurzweil’s keynote. Ray Kurzweil mentioned that ...
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Watching the Law of Accelerating Returns
Gordon Moore, one of the founders of Intel Corporation, observed in the 1960s that the ratio of complexity to cost ...