From: mike99 (mike99@lascruces.com)
Date: Sun Aug 06 2006 - 14:16:40 MDT
Where do your data come from on Singularitarian demographics? Just curious to know.
As for myself, I teach English at an American university. Before joining the faculty, I spent 15 years writing technical documentation in various corporate R&D and IT departments. So how would I be categorized?
Regards,
Michael LaTorra
mike99@lascruces.com
mlatorra@nmsu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sl4@sl4.org [mailto:owner-sl4@sl4.org]On Behalf Of Joshua Fox
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2006 3:29 AM
To: sl4@sl4.org
Subject: Singularitarian demographics
I note that the great majority of SL4 members have computer software as their primary profession. Why is this?
After all, comparing other philosophies which seek to improve the world through some specific technical efforts, the professions of interested people and supporters do not show such homogeneity or connection to the implementation. For example, most AIDS activists, advocates for feeding the world's hungry, people interested in stopping global warming, supporters of third-world debt relief, and fans of space exploration do not specialize in medicine, agriculture, meteorology, finance, or spacecraft engineering respectively.
While one might argue that familiarity with software gives one an understanding of AGI, in fact most software development is worlds away from true Singularity expertise.
Anyone care to venture a guess as to why the great majority of Singularitarians (or at least of the SL4 members) work in a certain field? Why do we not see among Singularitarians more psychiatrists, psychologists, anthropologists, historians, or biologists, all fields which are to some extent relevant to the Singularity? For that matter, why do we not see more doctors, non-high-tech business people, musicians, or practitioners of other unrelated professions, as we do for other movements?
This situation seems less than ideal. Though technical work must be done by experts, is not diversity of backgrounds valuable in non-specialist discussions of any intellectual pursuit as broad as this?
Joshua
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