The Singularity

John K Clark (johnkc@well.com)
Sun, 31 Aug 1997 07:53:24 -0700 (PDT)


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YakWaxx@aol.com On Sun, 31 Aug 1997 Wrote:

>How exactly do know when you're past 'the singularity'?

You can't know.

>If there is going to be an accelerated rate of change for the
>indefinite future (a point on which I agree), how do you point to a
>place in time and say, "that's the singularity"?

The singularity is not an absolute concept but a relative one, beyond that
point things will be so different and be changing so fast that prediction on
its nature are almost purely guesswork. That means there will always be a
singularity because it keeps receding into the future. I also think that
because our minds will keep getting faster the subjective time (but not the
objective!) to the singularity will always stay the same. For this reason
some prefer the term "horizon".

John K Clark johnkc@well.com

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