Singularity Summit 2009

This October 3rd and 4th I will be attending the 2009 singularity summit in New York City. I think it is very important that more awareness be spread about the possibility of the singularity. Al Gore was recently on a campaign to spread knowledge about global warming at universities. Many university educated students already learned about global warming in high school. I wish more was done to expose students to the possibility of the singularity.

Most university educated students probably have not heard of the singularity and if they are given only a cursory explanation will often quickly and skeptically write it off. Because the non-linear nature of the law of accelerating returns, the singularity is non-intuitive and is harder to convince people of the possibility of it occurring. Moreover, it is often, rightly or wrongly, presented in a very optimistic light which can further add to people's skepticism. Lastly, people can be shortsighted and are presently focusing on the current economic environment and today’s limitations of computers and other technologies.

Even if the probability of the singularity occurring is lower than the probability of man made global warming the potential impact is much higher. The whole future of our civilization might depend on the outcome of the singularity.

If you would like to learn more about the singularity institute excellent information can be found here. http://www.singularitysummit.com/