[extropy-chat] (no subject)

[Metavalent Stigmergy]

On 5/15/06, Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com> wrote:
>
> I thought Hofstadter's talk was an utter waste of time.  Yeah, he made the
> good point that Singularity deserved more attention by a broad range of
> scientists pro and con.  But the rest of the time he used silly cartoons and
> criticized Kurzweil's work in a most unscientific and unprofessional manner.
>  Oh, and he wrung his hands over whether his children or grandchildren would
> remain human a bit.

Hi Samantha. I'd expect that you're not alone in that assessment and I
surely don't claim any monopoly on the truth.

Unfortunately, unlike many other attendees, I respected the email that
asked us to leave active electronics at home.  I'd have given just
about anything for a camera when Hofstadter sat back down right next
to Kurzweil.  They both turned their backs to one another, as much as
chairs would allow.  It was sooo funny, like feuding fourth graders. I
carefully watched the body language, and it was actually Hofstadter
who "opened back up" first and five minutes later, Kurzweil was able
to sit facing forward again.  Of course, Doug was the one who launched
the "attack," so if I were in Ray's shoes, I certainly would have felt
more defensive and taken longer to relax.  In any case, that picture
would have been worth a billion words. :)

> McKibben spouted mostly gibberish and sound bites.   i see no reason to
> praise the performance of either of them.   McKibben is not in the least
> "loyal" to any form of transhumanism much less Singularity.   He believes we
> all should happily die.   Neither of these presentations were remotely
> "incisive".

I didn't mean to imply loyalty or disloyalty to the singularity -- as
if the singularity were a religious leader that demanded loyalty at
all -- but rather loyalty to the spirit of DEBATE and a forum open to
all voices; especially those who disagree with our own point of view.
Eliezer did a great job of defending the perimeter against religious
incursion and I hope we can keep our own internal machinations focused
on the future of human beings.

Personally, I would hope that the Singularity is much, much, more than
a "Rapture for the Geeks" that requires a specific loyalty to any
specific doctrine.