[extropy-chat] I keep asking myself...just curious

[Anne-Marie Taylor]

Robert Bradbury <robert.bradbury at gmail.com> wrote:     Anna, without being critical (since I view your questions as useful because they encourage a community with its own "reality" to consider the "realities" in which much of humanity lives) you may wish to do two things -- (a) start with wikipedia -- it is usually quite good as a resource on these things since its pages are semi-peer reviewed; (b) if you take an idea which is in your head -- ask yourself is it really reproducible or verifiable?  If I hold a ball in my hand and let go and you hold a ball in your hand and let go will they *both* fall?  If so we are both on the planet Earth (where the physical law of gravity exerts a lot of influence) and both using balls that are not filled with helium.  If on the other hand your astrologer says you are going to fall in love today and my astrologer says I am going to fall in love today what is the probability that we will indeed both fall in love?  Then what is the
 probability that 1000 people told by their astrologers that they will fall in love today actually do?  (501 out of 1000 falling in love doesn't make Astrology true because one has to take into account the power of suggestion and statistical variation [tomorrow only 499 people may fall in love].) 
   
  >Thank you Robert for your explanation. 
  >I have already read Vinge, Kurzweil, SL4 and anything I could find about 
  >the Singularity. 
  >Astrology and Religion have been around for thousand of years, although
  >I am not religious (I have my own belief system) and I don't believe in
  >the probability factors of Astrology, I can't seem to grasp that just because
  >something can't be explained scientifically that it is "craziness".  I truly 
  >believe that most religious writings are teaching tools to understand the
  >past, that's all.  I also believe that Astrology was once a teaching tool to 
  >learn about  the stars and planets.
  >The point I was trying to make is that although the Singularity seems like
  >the most plausible future, I 'm still finding it hard to believe, based on the
  >current information, how it will occur and when.  If at this point, if I
  >understand properly, we only have the technology for cryonics, nothing
  >else.  All talk about mind-uploading and copying is no more real than 
  >Astrology and Religion, it may one day occur or it may not. Am I not
  >understanding this properly?  I understand the high probabilities of the
  >Singularity but I'm just not convinced that their is enough information
  >to base a belief system on it.  
   
  >Could someone give me an opinion on what they think could halt the
  >Singularity from occurring?
  >Do you feel that we will have clear signs that we are approaching
  >the Singularity or do you feel that won't notice it and it will happen >gradually?
   
  Again, sorry if I'm way off and thanks for the responses.
  Anna:)

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  On 4/17/06, Anne-Marie Taylor <femmechakra at yahoo.ca> wrote:     Russell Wallace <russell.wallace at gmail.com> wrote:   You can try asking that one on the list.

  On 4/17/06, Anne-Marie Taylor < femmechakra at yahoo.ca > wrote:       Ok, that's fine:) 
  Then why bother ignoring religion if it's only to conjure up science fiction? 
  What's the Singularity then? A new theory of fiction?
  I'm confused?
  If there are no real facts other than cryonics at the present moment, then 
  what's the difference between the zodiac and Singularity? 







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