[extropy-chat] Alice's Dilemma

[BillK]

On Sat Feb 21, 2004 01:35 pm JDP wrote:
> Sorry, but I don't think this is a good article. Introductions to such
> big topics are interesting, because the author has to go to the basics
> and provide his own perspective. But I found no original nor personal
> element here, nor even a particularly rigorous thinking.
>

I think you are being rather too harsh here. Don't take this article out
of context. Joao did not write this for extropians. He is speaking to an
intelligent readership (of Futures magazine) who have not really thought
very much about the Singularity. So he has to try and break the news to
them very gently, with plenty of references for further research.

Did you notice that the very next article after his was entitled -
'Integrated 1000-year planning'? As though the world is going to go
along in much the same fashion for the next thousand years! That is the
mind-set that articles like this have to try and break through.

Just try and get the basics into their heads, try and get them to start
thinking that maybe things will change quicker than they expect.

And I thought the article did that very successfully.

BillK