HA HA HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Posted on 04/20/2016 5:12:57 PM PDT by John W
Ray Kurzweil, Google's chief futurist, laid out what he thinks the next few decades will look like in an interview with Playboy.
Kurzweil is one of the biggest believers in The Singularity, the moment when humans — with the aid of technology —will supposedly live forever.
He's chosen the year 2045 because, according to his calculations, "The nonbiological intelligence created in that year will reach a level that’s a billion times more powerful than all human intelligence today."
But even before 2045, Kurzweil thinks we could begin the deathless process.
"I believe we will reach a point around 2029 when medical technologies will add one additional year every year to your life expectancy," he told Playboy. "By that I don’t mean life expectancy based on your birthdate, but rather your remaining life expectancy."
A lot will have to happen in the next 30 years to make that a reality, but Kurzweil isn't fazed: He predicts that nano machines capable of taking over for our immune system (to fix problems like cancerous cells and clogged arteries) and connecting our brains to the cloud will be available by then.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Well, I am going to live forever and fortunately not in this body or as part of this world. This is just a stopping off place for a while until I go to Heaven.
That future might already be here. Obama has been in power for 2647 terrible and destructive days, and every one of them seemed like forever.
I've tried it. It isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Oh, and that is, of course, under the assumption that that hyperintelligence wants us around. Somebody has to change its vacuum tubes, I suppose, but there ought to be robots for that by then.
On a more serious note, there is an underlying and very unproven assumption that what we describe as human consciousness can be migrated to another medium. Quite a few years ago Roger Penrose suggested that it might not; that human consciousness might be a biological quantum event that is otherwise untranslatable. And further, that the Ghost in the Machine that Gilbert Ryle so ridiculed might actually have a basis in truth, that that silly "soul" thing that Christians are always nattering about might (gasp!) actually be real.
We don't know. We're not even close to being in a position to know, and all of this is mere speculation. It is clear, however, from testing on neural networking that a full human intelligence requires resources that are equal to a human brain and that it takes time to learn, to train, not to program. We have developed such a system already. It's called a "baby".
I might, of course, be entirely mistaken. I used to be a strong-AI proponent but I don't know, maybe it's just me, but there does seem to be a little more to it than that. Just my $0.02.
You're what is aware of your body and mind. Your body and mind only generate sensations, stimuli, whether physically, mentally or emotionally. You're what's aware of them.
Amen. Living forever in this sin-cursed world would be truly a curse. Only Jesus can make the Millenium happen, then a beautiful eternity in which to praise Him.
Signs of the times.
Penrose has no foundation for his theory. There is nothing that indicates complexity creates consciousness, just self-referential stimuli. That’s not consciousness - consciences is what is aware of the self-referential stimuli.
Well, that was a transitional period, as METAMAGICAL THEMAS ( N.B. ) was an anagram of MATHEMATICAL GAMES, the column of many years previous authored by Martin Gardner.
So yeah, I remember!
Just to reminisce, I was very amused by Hofstadter's experiment in group cooperation. He wanted people to submit values, the greatest of which so submitted would be remunerated in reciprocal ratio to the value itself. The idea being that people would have to restrain themselves in the knowledge that outlandishly large values would not bear any significant prize.
Of course, he was inundated by every sort of outlandish extrapolation, which he admitted in his column he was not able to evaluate in full, but he mainly lamented the complete failure of his project to engage the public with the subtle premise he presented.
Ah, Bartelby! Ah, humanity!
Well, if I could be convinced they will always have Terminator Stout and Penang curry, it might be okay.
The quickening...so don’t lose your head.
” . . . and connecting our brains to the cloud will be available by then.”
Once dated a girl whose brains were connected to a cloud (or so it seemed); not sure if that’s going to be a that much of an improvement.
His predictions are there to look at and compare with what actually happened. He looks about 80% right. The preachers are always wrong, of course.
What there are articles in Playboy? /s
Generally when those guys make predictions, the date is somewhere before their own expected termination date.
Oh, we’re all going to live forever. In one of two places.
You’re sidestepping the transporter paradox, which I believe is substantially the same as that presented by Kurzweil’s projection.
But aside from that, and in context of my own life experience, it’s hard for me to say that “I” am some presence continuous with my youthful self, as it’s such a one way street, you know ... looking back. And a narrow street, too!
Your memory is far better than mine!
Thanks for the Bartelby reference. It seems I have some exploring to do. ;-)
The transporter is fiction. Without knowing how it works, nothing can be said about it in reality.
But what's the difference between "you" and your youthful self? The state of your body? Memories? All those things are things "you" experienced. None of them were ever the "you" that experienced them. You're conflating your "self," your experience of "I," with your personality. But they aren't the same - "you" are aware of your personality. In fact, "you" are what is aware your personality has changed over time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.