[ExI] how would Transhumanists cope if the Singularity did not happen in their lifetime?

[Eugen Leitl]

On Tue, May 15, 2007 at 03:33:28AM -0700, John Grigg wrote:
> 
>    I am very curious to see how things work out in the personal lives of
>    present-day Transhumanists should the Singularity not happen as hoped

I don't think anyone is so foolish as to predict a specific series
of events, and worse, to gamble your life on it. ("Why save for
retirement, or build a health care fund, or buy cryonics? The
Singularity will verily save us, halleluja!". Yeah. Right).

>    by the year 2030.  By that year many of the "older folks" among us
>    will have used (or be on the verge of using) the only option available
>    for a possible escape from death, which would be cryonic suspension.

Right.

>    While Ray Kurzweil came to his 2030 date for the Singularity by using
>    Moore's law, I'm sure he (and many others) found it comforting that

I honestly don't know why people here are citing Kurzweil. And for
the umpteeth time, Moore is not about computer performance, it's
about integration density.  

>    this was a year within striking distance of his personal lifespan.

Awfully comforting, I'm sure.
 
>    Around 2030 I envision many documentaries and news specials being made
>    to cover the "depressed and misguided souls (I see this being the

Any such "depressed and misguided" souls around here?

>    angle given by the filmmakers)" who thought a Singularity would happen
>    within their lifetime.  But by then cryonic suspension technology
>    should be far more advanced & respected than now.  And I can imagine

The technology is great already, the deployment isn't. There will be
no viable cryonics for the rest of us, as long as it is not part
of the critical care medicine. Judging from historical trends, 23 years
is negligible.

>    the "Transhumanist Elders" being much beloved by the younger
>    generation (I would at least hope so!, lol).

I think the younger generation would rather wish the cantankerous
fools would be rather cooling their nonexisting toes at the bottom
of a dewar.

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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