Any other fans of Ray Kurtzwiel here?
Erin Lindsey
Since I stopped posting here before, I have become a fan of Ray
Kurtzwiel and his theories. It is of perticular interest to me that he
sees a fusion of human and machine (or "singularity" as he calls it,
which has also been dubbed "nerd rapture" by some) as a means of
eventually cheat death entirely. I'm finding this interesting to
contemplate in the context of Blade Runner...for example, with the
original subplot of Tyrell having been a replicant, too. One could
just as easily see his personality surviving as a "ROM" ala McCoy
"Dixie Flatline" Pauley from Neuromancer. I'm sure our Replicants
heroes in the film would have jumped at the chance to find something
to extend their lives, though I'm not sure that they would have been
so keen on something that would deny them the physical experience of
being human. (i,e, what is the point of living if you are a basically
an electronic brain in a box that can't feel anything?)
What do you guys think of this? I think the question would eventually
become, "What makes us human if we incorporate the machine into
ourselves?" I think the answer is ultimately "empathy," but that's
just my take on it.
Also, the fact that Glenn Beck has apparently latched onto Kurzweil's
fandom makes me cringe a little. D:
Gnomus
<c2de4214-fccd-45db...@q35g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
Erin Lindsey <erin.d....@gmail.com> wrote:
Personally, I don't see technology ever achieving that goal. I don't
want it to achieve that goal. From my perspective, people living
forever further short circuits our connection to nature and evolution.
I don't think we'd end up with better people from it.
Now, having said that, there's the issue you bring up about being an
"electronic brain in a box that can't feel anything." If they could do
something that advanced, then why couldn't they create simulated
senses. It's just data, right?
Hadn't heard about Beck. A while back he was in the hospital and
couldn't say enough bad things about medical technology. Then the
health care bill came up, and suddenly he was saying that we have the
best medical care in the world. Now he's announced that he has some
kind of degenerative problem with his eyes, and he's clinging to the
singularity to save him. The guy's a loon.
lcz
I actually know Ray Kurtzwiel in Real Life (tm). I first met him at a
"future thinkers" conference at WPI. There is a whole article on the
brmovie website that detailed my adventure - see
http://www.brmovie.com/Articles/Imagining_the_Future.htm.
He worked for many years with Stevie Wonder for visually disabled
issues and music/keyboard technology (Ray pioneered much of what is
out there today) - hence my continued interest and contact with Ray
(who lives near Boston and we run in some of the same circles re:
visual technology). He is one cool guy.
I have a personally signed copy of his second book The Age of
Spiritual Machines.
A fan of Ray Kurtzweil? You bet.
I'd elaborate more, but I just checked the webcam and the surfing
conditions are perfect right now.
Hanging ten,
lcz
Lukas Mariman
"lcz" <lczer...@gmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:53e6271f-1a64-4fd1...@m1g2000yqo.googlegroups.com...
Definitely an interesting character.
There's a movie coming out as well: "The Singularity Is Near". Can't wait to
see it!