[extropy-chat] book review: Radical Evolution

[Damien Broderick]

At 10:12 AM 6/12/2005 -0400, Dan wrote:

>Also from the review it sounds to me like The book would have been
>insightful and provocative if published in (say) 1997.

As another one was, with rather similar contents. :)

>Clearly, he simply doesn't get it.

Regard the knee-jerk dreariness of this confused message :

<According to Vernor Vinge, one of several eccentric scientists whom 
Garreau interviews, The Curve will continue to get steeper and steeper 
until it eventually goes completely vertical in a rapturous moment he has 
dubbed "The Singularity." At some point this century, but probably no later 
than 2030, Vinge believes that humans will build the last machine we'll 
ever need -- a device so intelligent it will be able to reproduce rapidly 
and create new machines far smarter than humans could ever imagine. 
Practically overnight, our social order will rupture, and our world will be 
transformed. There's no guarantee that will be particularly pleasant. >

Now this might be the reviewer's fault, but observe the logic, which can't 
distinguish between the gratuitous and non-Vingean "rapture", and 
"rupture". The singularity is "a rapturous moment" that might not be 
"particularly pleasant". Oh.

Still, I suppose it's encouraging that non->Hs are at least starting to 
discuss this concept.

Damien Broderick