From: Joseph Bloch (kronus@inheritors.org)
Date: Sat Feb 21 2004 - 16:14:43 MST
Another possibility exists.
d) It has happened, perhaps numerous times, but they just haven't gotten
here yet. Space is big.
Joseph
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sl4@sl4.org [mailto:owner-sl4@sl4.org] On Behalf Of TC
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2004 4:58 PM
To: sl4@sl4.org
Subject: What of a Singularity fizzling out?
Hopefully I'm not rehashing old discussion here, but I don't remember
reading anything about this on any of the SIngularity-related pages I
looked through. It seems to me that there would be a reasonable chance
of the Singularity ultimately resulting in... nothing. Rather than
there necessarily being an explosion of technology sweeping over the
face of the planet, there seems a distinct possibility of an implosion;
either through the transhuman intelligence self-terminating (for
whatever reason we can't foresee now), or through it transcending into a
place or state undetectable by us, and choosing not to bring us along.
I guess I don't see any particular reason why a transhuman intelligence
would choose to do that, but then again, I can see no reason why it
wouldn't, either. It's unknowable, but still a legitimate possibility
that should be acknowleged.
One argument supporting this, although weak and enormously speculative -
more just food for thought, I guess, is that it addresses the problem of
lack of detection of extraterrestrial life. It always seemed
intuitively likely to me that there's probably intelligent life
scattered all over the universe, so one would think we'd have heard from
somebody by now. If a transhuman intelligence did decide to bring us
all along with it when it crossed over to the other side, there will
most likely be some compelling fundmental logical or ethical reasons why
it would choose to do so. And if it brings us along, why wouldn't it
also bring along any other straggling life on other planets? Is there
some sort of rule that a transhuman omniscient intelligence can only
bring along the inhabitants that created it? Possible, I guess, but it
doesn't make that much intuitive sense.
So, given that we haven't been "transitioned" by an extra-solar
superintelligence already, that we still have pain and hunger and war
here, it would stand to reason that:
a) there haven't been any intelligent races to attain a Singularity
yet anywhere in the universe
b) there have been, and for whatever reason, they didn't see fit to
altruistically ease our suffering over here on Earth
c) Singularities don't typically bring their creator species with
them.
Again, hope this topic hasn't already been beaten to death or anything.
Trevor
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