Re: continuity of self [ was META: Sept. 11 and Singularity]

From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Thu Sep 19 2002 - 13:31:35 MDT


Cliff Stabbert wrote:

> But as I've mentioned before, I don't think the main risks to the
> achieving the singularity are from the public at large, but rather
> from those people and organizations currently in a position of
> privilege, because they have (perceived) motive and they have (some)
> means to foul up progress.
>

As I see it, the basic problem is the same for people highly
privileged relative to others is to show clearly that their real
quality of life will rise further in a world of true abundance
than in the world based around scarcity in which their
differential status was gained.

I think the deeper and more fundamental shift is to a world
where the differentiation on the basis of what you personally
own or the size of your relative pile of chips becomes less
acheivable and has no real ties to fundamental well-being
(housing, food, clothing, access to computational resources and
information, health care, education and so on). At some point I
think a shift will occur to what you own, what information you
have just not being a distinction at all as everyone has access
potentially to most physical goods as desired (one of a kind
places, art and so on are an exception) and everyone has access
to the full information bank. Distinction will have to come in
other ways.

- samantha






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