[extropy-chat] Kurzweil Article Retread

[Samantha Atkins]

Either we will change/overcome human nature or else the species is 
quite likely to die out entirely.   Staying as we are without species 
wide calamity is not in the cards.  If we don't mind posts-apocalyptic 
hell at best with billions dead and our technological base destroyed or 
the death of the entire species then all we have to do is do nothing 
but what chattering monkeys do best.

Those who believe the status quo is fine where even the haves fall 
apart and die after scant decades of existence while billions live in 
unspeakable conditions will undoubtedly vote implicitly if not 
explicitly to do nothing.  It is they who are the mad fools.

- samantha


On Feb 12, 2005, at 10:06 PM, Olga Bourlin wrote:

> I've seen variations on this article on Kurzweil lately, and this one 
> is on Yahoo today (heads-up came from another email list to which I 
> belong, and Kurzweil was described as extremely intelligent, but 
> possessing off-the-wall ideas - the subject line was, in fact, "Even 
> the REALLY smart can be fooled ..."):
>
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&e=1&u=/ap/20050213/
> ap_on_hi_te/one_man_s_immortality
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/5ja56
>
> Observe the last two paragraphs:
>
> "The instinct to preserve individuality, and to gain advantage for 
> yourself and children, would survive any breakthrough into biological 
> immortality - which Silver doesn't think is possible. The gap between 
> the haves and have-nots would widen and Kurzweil's vision of a united 
> humanity would become ever more elusive, he said.
> 'I think it would require a change in human nature,' Silver said, 'and 
> I don't think people want to do that.'"
>
> Olga
>
>
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