[ExI] Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, Singularitarian Principles. Update?

[Richard Loosemore]

Singularity Utopia wrote:
> Thanks Richard Loosemore, regarding the SL4 route to contact Eliezer, 
> that's exactly the info I needed.
> 
> John Grigg, you say I may not be allowed to stay long on the SL4 list? 
> Why is this, are Singularitarians an intolerant group leaning towards 
> fascism?

Er.... you may be misunderstanding the situation.  ;-)

You will be unwelcome and untolerated on SL4, because:

a)  The singularity is, for Eliezer, a power struggle.  It is a matter 
of which personality "owns" these ideas .... who determines the agenda, 
who is seen as the pre-eminent power broker .... who has the largest 
army of volunteers to spread the message.   And in that situation, you, 
my friend, are a Threat.  Even if your ideas were more sensible than his 
you would be attacked and denounced, for the simple reason that you 
would not be meekly conforming to the standard view of the singularity 
(as defined by The Wise One).

b)  Your assertions are wildly egotistical (viz "I am the Singularity! I 
am utopia").  This is garbage:  you are not the singularity, you are a 
person.  The singularity is a posited future event, and a set of ideas 
about that event.  Your ego is, sadly, not enough to define or shape 
that event.

Now, history may well turn out in such a way that one person's ego 
really does define and shape the singularity.  But you can bet your life 
that that person will never do it by openly DECLARING that they are 
going to shape and define the thing.

Eliezer obviously thinks that he is the chosen one, but whereas you are 
coming right out and declaring that you are the one, he would never be 
so dumb as to actually say "Hey, everyone, bow down to me, because I 
*am* the singularity!".  He may be an irrational, Randian asshole, but 
he is not that stupid.

So have fun on SL4, if there is anything left of it.  If you don't 
actually get banned within a couple of months it will be because SL4 is 
(as John Clark claims) actually dead, and nobody gives a damn what you 
say there.




Richard Loosemore