[ExI] Inevitability of the Singularity (was Re: To Max, re Natasha and Extropy (Kevin Haskell)

[Samantha Atkins]

On 06/28/2011 08:43 PM, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 5:05 AM, Stefano Vaj<stefano.vaj at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> 2011/6/26 Kevin Haskell<kgh1kgh2 at gmail.com>
>> - There is a sense other than "free-willing" where the word
>> "voluntarist" comes into play. That is, many rapture- or doom-mongers,
>> including those of the most benign versions, insist on the
>> "inevitability" of a singularity, or at least its "inevitability
>> unless". Voluntarism here also means that paradigm-shifting changes,
>> far from taking place automagically, happen because of a literally
>> "superhuman" collective will to this end, and the presence of such a
>> will in our age and culture should really not be taken for granted.
>> Rather the opposite, in fact.
> What if the Singularity can only be avoided if human beings and
> corporations and countries stop acting in self-interested ways as
> modeled by economists?

Why would I want to avoid the singularity?  A positive singularity is 
much to be desired.   Everything staying more or less like it is now but 
with better tech over time is not a workable option.  That path cannot 
be sustained.   As far as I can see it is singularity or quite sharp 
fall.  It won't happen by itself or not in any likely net positive way.  
It will take a lot of work.

Besides, enlightened rational self-interest is the root of all good.  It 
forms the only grounded basis for ethics that I have encountered to date.

- samantha