From: Ben Goertzel (ben@goertzel.org)
Date: Tue Jun 25 2002 - 20:59:35 MDT
I wrote:
> Works like CFAI or
> "Staring into
> the Singularity" (which combine ungrounded speculation with an obvious
> attitude of self-importance on the part of the author) are perceived as
> frivolous at best or crackpottish at worst.
By the way, I did not mean to imply that all of CFAI or "Staring into..."
consist of ungrounded speculation.
Merely that there is enough ungrounded speculation in there to turn of 99%
of academic readers...
The Singularity itself is way too out-there a concept for academic
scientists to be able to accept...
What some on this list don't appreciate adequately about Kurzweil is: He is
finding ways to explain these "radical" concepts in ways that relatively
conservative-minded people like university professors may be able to accept.
My own writings on the topic, like Eliezer's writings, are too speculative
and too tied up with our personal scientific ambitions, to be able to
achieve that goal. The fact that Kurzweil has no personal
Singularity-oriented tech projects that he's "selling" actually makes him a
bit more credible as a Singularity spokesperson, to conservative-minded
folks.
-- Ben G
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