[ExI] Jaron Lanier on AI and Singularity, not transhumanism

[Gregory Jones]

--- On Mon, 8/9/10, John Clark <jonkc at bellsouth.net> wrote:
 
All Singularitarians are Trans-humanists...
 
 
Indeed?  One of the striking things about Asimov's Foundation trilogy is that in the far future humans remained pretty much unchanged.  Even as a child that bothered me.  I had the notion way back that lifespans should inherently increase over time, health science should allow centenarians to appear like our fifty year olds.  A non-transhumanist would take a similar view to Asimov's.  
 
It is perfectly consistent logically to assume humans remain in our present form with our present bad habits, right up until the singularity occurs, then assume that the singularity doesn't need us, so by some mysterious means we are no more.  That would be an example of a non-transhumanist singularitarian.  I wouldn't be too surprised to find many singularitarians are non-transhumanist.
 
spike
 

 
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