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As I have been hinting, I have committed my life to a field of research that far surpasses anything in scope or importance that I have encountered before. My dedication to this area of research is something I never would have predicted, but it is now obvious where my life is headed. To me it is intriguing, and to you I hope it is not something terrifying or intimidating, but rather I hope you find it just as fascinating as I have.
It began fourteen years ago as I started researching a topic at my university that dealt with artificial intelligence. I had already spent plenty of years in computer science, and as I engaged myself, it didn't take long for me to meet experts in the field and pose questions regarding how intelligent computers could become in the future. I branched out and researched neural networks, or in other terms a computing contraption built to "simulate" the human brain. The more time I spent on the subject, the less time I actually spent on my actual major. This led me to study the new field of nanotechnology, which was just gaining momentum back then.
Since these disciplines were totally unrelated to my engineering major, soon I became too busy to continue involving myself in these emerging fields. I chose instead to focus on the IT sector in general because I needed to start making money. Then just a few years ago, I freed up a bit of time to continue studying artificial intelligence and nanotechnology. I quickly realized that the small community of scientists impacting these fields were also cross-researching genetics and robotics. These enlightened group of scholars had all arrived at a similar conclusion throughout their lifetimes of research: that all areas of technology are advancing more and more rapidly each year, and the point in time rapidly approaches us where the capabilities of a single supercomputer will exceed the computational abilities of the human brain.
Shortly after this occurs, a microcomputer (or PC) will then exceed the capacity and intelligence of a human being, and when the first high tech institution makes this breakthrough, we will refer to that event as the technological singularity. From that point forward, our very existence as human beings, and the very definition of what it means to be human, will be forever transformed. From that point forward, the fields of nanotechnology, genetics, medicine, robotics, and computer science will advance so rapidly, that we will almost immediately achieve the ability to become transhuman. We will no longer be bound by the limits of our current biological self, and thus we will merge our consciousness with whatever technology we want, expanding our identity, our life span, and our total existence in ways that we can hardly predict right now.
Although it may sound like science fiction at first, most all scientists in these fields agree that the singularity rapidly approaches, and it will happen in our lifetime. The exact day which it will occur cannot possibly be determined, but I agree with a respected leader in singularity research, Ray Kurzweil:
The singularity will occur approximately in the year 2045. That is less than forty years away, and by leading a reasonably healthy lifestyle, most of us can live long enough to witness that day.
I understand perfectly if this is too much to absorb, and yet there is so much more to discuss. Many people simply cannot comprehend the scope of the singularity, and even most of those who do tend to abandon discussing it simply because it can be terrifying. It is true that there are at least two schools of thought about the days following the singularity. One group believes that the singularity will herald the triumph of humans as we transcend from our fragile, rickety bodies and become anything we want to be. But another group warns that after the singularity, computers and robotic masses will simply discard the human race, causing our extinction.
I belong to that first group of highly optimistic researchers, and I am more confident about the favorable outcome of the singularity than any conclusion I have made in my life. To guarantee the controlled and positive arrival of the singularity, I devote my life to its research.
I have alienated several friends and many others by researching this field, but I am rewarded by the amazing bonds that I have made with great people involved with this science. I'm sure that all singularity researchers welcome you to join our endeavor. I will be discussing this new science in greater detail in the months and years to come, and I humbly welcome any and all feedback on they way that you are reacting to these concepts.
Simply live long enough, and it is our hope that the singularity will give you the choice to be most anything you wish to be.
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singularity
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by duckworth3 |
posted February 8th, 2007 around 02:22 PM
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I found your site through your recent comment to Fat Cat on Xanga. Singularity sounds fascinating indeed, however, the brain is also fascinating. Self healing, and amazingly complex. I like to think of myself more as energy in a vessel. When the vessel is gone, I will still be "somewhere." Perhaps with a rather expanded consciousness. I'm not certain humans should "mess w/Mother Nature," though just our being here has done that! I enjoy your writing and photos! I'll visit again. -Ducky
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Singularity
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by Jon H. |
posted January 8th, 2007 around 07:26 AM
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Fascinating subject, and Happy New Year!
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