Posted on 09/30/2009 4:04:32 AM PDT by mattstat
The limits of human knowledge Will humanity reach an intellectual plateau or will there come a singularity? I argue the former. Every person has a limit, and most people in the Western world are near theirs. The average all-humans IQ will increase, but only until most cultures are roughly energy sufficient. Additionally, as rampant leisureliness sets in, people do less and have fewer children. Conclusion: mankind will top out in a couple of hundred years; the period of rapid technological improvement will peter out and the era in which we live will come to be seen as strange and unusual.
More on the Michigan woman who watched her neighbor’s kids A republican state politician wants to pass a new law which allows people their basic freedom. This is admirable, but ridiculous. He should have proposed dismantling the old law and defunding the agency responsible. We need less government, not more.
(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...
Well, this is his prediction and he has a right to make it.
I’ll make one too:
People in the year 2250, to the extent that they will know of William M. Briggs (highschool and college students writing obscure history papers), will smile condescendingly at his memory.
Even if the human brain hits a plateau, technology will continue to evolve...and that is the point of The Singularity!
I think he’s right. Maybe I’ll listen to his podcast.
Large corporations, powerful groups, and countries will continue to strive for the incredible power that advanced technologies will give them.
For example, being able to create computers that have the same capability as a human brain would allow a country to field armies of robot soldiers with tremendous capability and no fear of death.
Kurzweil has written a great book, The Singularity Is Near, where he details the various technologies. Imagine what happens when computers with human capabilities begin writing the next generation of software for the next generation of computers. Technological advancement can become logarithmic.
I plan on BEING one of those computers if I survive long enough. Then I can TRULY be Darth (always liked the snappy uniform).
The only limits are those imposed by the structure of the universe.
Is there a maximum level of fine structure in the universe. In other words, is there a finate number of things to know in the universe.
Is there a limit to the number of things you can to with material science?
Will future inguiry be limitted by human intellegence?
Are we confined to a 4 dimensional universe with the light speed barrier acting as jail keeper?
As far as we can tell, no, no, no and who knows. If the answer to all four were yes, the author would be correct.
Wow, I shouldn’t post without caffeine and spell check.
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