Curtains lifting, worlds simulating, heaven descending

[Brian Atkins]

Gordon Mohr wrote:
> 
> I totally agree that various extropian/transhumanist/Singularitarian
> beliefs strongly resemble religious beliefs. I expect them to become
> even more "religious" in form as they gain wider currency.

Then I'd have to say you're stereotyping too. These are not really
beliefs at this point, they are an area of scientific study. People
are starting to study the increase in complexity and technology
in a scientific way. People like Ray Kurzweil are writing books with
lots of data in them about the Singularity. This whole area is on
the verge of going from something abstract to something very concrete
over the course of this decade. It most certainly is not going into
a more lightweight direction.

(speculation of coattail riding religions snipped)

> I also approach all these ideas with the same self-serving, quasi-logical
> reasoning that motivated the original "Pascal's Wager". I can't say
> what's true for sure, but given the potential payoff, what the heck? (I
> am aware this is not a rigorous position. :)

You can never be sure, but you can assign probabilities. Right now the
probabilities are pointing more towards a Singularity-esque run-up of
technology. Given that things are pointing there, humanity at this
point seems blissfully ignorant, which is scary since it is leaving
things like real AI research very underfunded while blowing vast sums
of money and brainpower on issues that will have no real effect on
the last little bit of purely human history left.
-- 
Brian Atkins
Director, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
http://www.singinst.org/