Re: Zen singularity

From: Tommy McCabe (rocketjet314@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Feb 22 2004 - 15:56:03 MST


--- entropy@farviolet.com wrote:
>
> On Sun, 22 Feb 2004, Tomaz Kristan wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 08:00:39 -0800 (PST),
> > entropy@farviolet.com wrote:
> >
> > > "The universe is perfect as it is"
> >
> > It's a matter of time only, when somebody will
> disagree
> > with those pacifists, and makes them to join his
> > crusade, to make the whole world a better place.
> >
> > Seating somewhere in comfort, with no will to
> improve a
> > condition of the striving neighboring tribe, may
> soon
> > lead to change your code by this tribe, recently
> jumped
> > out from its misery.
> >
> > Passiveness is a long term looser.
>
> Consider this viewpoint:
>
> So they are overthrown, big deal the universe is
> perfect.
> But eventually as it continues to evolve the
> overthrower
> eventually realizes this as well and settles down to
> contemplate perfection. They realize they will die,
> but
> thats ok, its just part of perfection.

Perfect, eh? What about the X people dying on a daily
basis? What about the giant problems that we all know
about (eg, poverty, crime, drugs, ingorance, yada yada
yada). What about the 10^X problems hardwired into our
heads from Darwinian evolution? What about the 10^10^X
minor annoyances we all have to put up with? What
about the very real threat of total annihilation of
the planet? What about the Singularity!!! Saying the
universe is perfect and then just laying back and
doing nothing is the one way that is guaranteed to get
the planet blown to smithereens, even more so than
deliberately unleashing self-replicating nanotech.
After all, one disaster has a chance of not being
total, however small, but when you sit back and do
nothing, they're going to happen over and over until
one is total. Given 0 < p < 1, 1 - lim[b -> infinity]
((1-p) ^ b) = 1, to put it mathematically. The
Singularity needs to get done, funds need to be
raised, programmers need to be hired, Friendliness
theories need to be developed, and it all needs to be
done soon, before the planet is destroyed by nanotech
or AI-gone-wrong or whatever. Every other independent
supergoal can be put off until after the Singularity,
when we have AT LEAST 10^23 years to do all of it
(estimated 4*10^9 years for the Sun's lifetime *
3*10^13-fold subjective speedup by Eli = 1.2 * 10^23
years). Yes, every single one. (Note: Things like
'finding food' and 'paying the bills' aren't
independent supergoals and should therefore continue,
however any subgoal which has no parent supergoal upon
removal of every supergoal but the Singularity can be
removed). Realistically, no one is going to totally
remove everything, including myself, but it's worth
trying for. And now let me say that I personally feel
like bashing myself on the head for not taking my own
advice. Can anyone point me to a web page as to Stuff
You Can Do To Help The Singularity?

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