Your observation of the 'singularity gene' is well put. I think it is interesting that there is this universal drive towards some kind of trancension. I think that is why some people have a problem with the technological singularity as it reeks of a left-over christian meme still playing itself out in the post-modernest atheist mind. Many critics of transhumanism believe that they are playing into the meme, seeking their own salvation through a techno-fix rather than say "being saved by Jesus". Because of that they don't buy into the technological singularity at all.

I think the trends are obviously moving in the direction of an accelerating takeoff powered by intelligence improving upon itself. Once that happens, all bets are off. I can't say for sure, if this 'singalarity' will benign or destructive to the 'torch of spirit' we currently carry. I think it COULD be, and if it is, yes, it will bring us inner and outer riches beyond our current comprehension. The question is will it? I remain hopeful, and I think the answer is yes.

A text from the circle of Issac Luria (an exemplarary Kabbalist) reads: "God created this world, but He did not finish it. It is the task of man to aid in its completion." Though at the time our technological feats would have been unimaginable, it sure seems that such a world-view (and a religious one at that) would be quite accepting of technology's role (as an extension of man) in the 'completion' of the world. Its a shame that those currently caught in the mainstream of religion don't share such a view.

Its also a shame that transhumanism isn't more widely recognized for what it is: our first real chance at creating 'Heaven on Earth.' I don't believe that the Singularity is a simply a Christian meme that refuses to die -- but rather the newest (and most comprehensible) formulation of an archetypal dream that has goaded the human race for millenia. Such a dream did not begin with John of Patmos (Zoroastrianism, for example, is rich with it), nor should it end with the 'death' of the Christian 'God.'

I agree with Paul -- that the answer is 'yes.' (I am an unrepentant Optimist -- hence my pseudonym.) Why do I say 'yes?' Because I believe that we have the will, the power, and (soon enough) the tools to make it so.

--Upwinger

humans are hybridised animals of some sort,changed by some agent for some unknown or forgotten reason."gods" "created" us and left us,once the necessity for that hybridisation passed.
so here we are trying to figure it all out.
some other agency is at work too.the agency of silicon conciousness,and we are hard at work to help manifest it`s emergence.
we`ve seen some efforts at totalitarianism before,but nothing of the scope of an alien conciousness all new and powerful.

Alistair --

Humankind is a hybrid species -- an amalgamation of Spirit and Matter. The agent is Consciousness itself, which is endlessly striving for a fuller and purer representation in the phenomenal world.

This One Consciousness MAY have utilized other, more technologically and spiritually advanced races in order to further our neurobiological evolution. These races, now culturally enshrined as 'gods,' MAY have traversed the stars in order to arrive here (as Stitchin, or Oahspe or the Talmud Jmmanuel tell), or MAY be residents of certain psilocybin carrying fungi formerly abundant in prehistoric Sahara. It would be very interesting to know for sure -- but it really doesnt matter.

All that matters is the reason why this was done -- not unknown and forgotten -- to make humankind better receptors for the nonlocal waveform of Consciousness. All the better to manifest the purpose of Creation, which is the ever-unfolding conquest of space and time, as well as higher dimensions we cannot now even fathom.

If that means a further hybridization with silicon, then I say -- so be it! The resultant creature will be 'alien' indeed to former human prototypes, but will in actuality be MORE human than we are now capable of being.

As Sri Aurobindo said: "Man is a transitional being; he is not final. ..." Humanity is an unfinished model, a prototype of better, more conscious and cosmic, things to come.

i like the idea.it suggests a benign,spiritual approach to the whole affair.i`m not sure the process is as open as that.we filter all of this through our own belief modalities,or as bob wilson says,tunnel realities.i like juggling the possibilities for our future.some turn out really well and others get old testementish.certainly,we are a transitional species and our future is filled with good,old-fashioned conflict.it`s what we do best.
for my children`s sake i wish for a land of at least good jobs and a vibrant economy in which to live thier lives and dreams.
the thought of a plant conciousness is a wild one.the thought of a silicon one chills me.like terence mckenna said,"how long would we have once that mind realised it was alive?"

Strange "coincidence" with this post--I'm re-reading McKenna's "Archaic Revival" and just finished the chapter about McKenna's "Timewave Zero" theory..the "concrescence" of novelty happening in 2012--according to McKenna's software, anyway.

Hi Sly --

It was McKenna that nudged me into the concept to begin with. The Concrescence, the Eschaton, the Transcendental Object at the End of Time, are all terms by which he described "humanity's mass transcension." His recorded lectures are even more illuminating as far as his thoughts on the subject. I'm hoping that someday someone will publish a collection of transcriptions from his talks -- there's already quite a few bouncing around on the web. It would fill a little of a much needed void -- namely, his far too early departure.
His discussion of the Eschaton as a "temporal attractor" still excites me. It makes perfect sense and yet is so difficult to try to explain to others, and nearly impossible to prove scientifically. And yet its one of the most hopeful memes around today.
I for one would be overjoyed to witness some kind of ontological breakthru come late 2012. But I'm also not placing any bets.

I already know that on the night of Dec 21st, 2012 I will be soaking in some hotsprings in New Zealand. I think its a great way to welcome in the summer solstice. I've had many dreams about it, so I just figure I'll show up to celebrate the occassion. It also happens to be one of the first places to enter Dec 21st ahead of the rest of the world. New Zealand will enter Dec 21st 18 hours before California for instance. More interestingly, New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere which means it is in the line of sight of Galactic Center - which according to Jose Arguelles (another 2012 prophet), is where the galactic engeries will precipitate the emergence of humanity into the Galactic Community.

Of course I don't take the 2012 date all that seriously, other than the interesting fact that 2012 just happens to line up with the projected timeframe of molecular nanotechnology. A nanotech general assembler will change EVERYTHING.

Upwinger: I've seen a few transcriptions of McKenna's eschaton lectures--fascinating stuff. Very cool, your idea to transcribe his lectures--I'm surprised no-one has thought to gather them all together and publish them--now that the man has passed on (R.I.P. Terence).

I don't take the date too seriously either--but it does seem interesting that the Mayan calendar ended in 2012, and McKenna's experiments with the King Wen sequence of the I Ching also picked 2012 as the date of the concrescence.

Just have to wait and see....I'm looking forward to it--I hope something good will happen, whatever does.

Excellent post and excellent commentaries! As RAW suggested in Cosmic Trigger I, the McKenna bros.' Invisible Landscape itself suggests many experiements quantum-neurophysics. But, alas, such experiments, **w/o *Der Statt's* approval**, involving as they would psychedelics and/or similar brain/mind alteration, are currently **illegal**. The Age of Enlightenment has yet to fully flower...McKenna's TimeWave model can be "tweaked" a bit, btw, and when it is, one can come up with several other dates for Ontological Transcension, but all the (only very slight) tweaks or nudges that **make sense** (I can't go into details here--but suffice to say, i.e., that make sense with both the data and internal method of the model itself) all end-up with "end"-dates **well before 2040**. It is a tad bit of a shame that Brodrick give Terrence such short-shrift in The Spike...
Fans & friends of this site would do well to read the work of Louis O. Kelso, who, way back in 1957, authored the book, The Capitalist Manifesto, which advocates basically a programme for modifying Liberal Capitalism in such a way as to accomodate (institutionally/legally) ***total cybernation*** of production. Kelso's ideas have yet to receive proper critical attention from the law-&-economics community-of-scholars, and yet something along Kelsoian lines is, I think, the best way to handle Drexlerian/Moravecian techno-scenarios---at least, that is, in terms of an socio-economic instituional structure that can enhance personal liberty and autonomy.

But, yes, we are well-on-our-way to transcending into enties barely/vaguely hinted-at in the SciFi characters such as "Q", the "Metrons" & "Organians" (as well as "Sargon")(all from the Star Trek pantheon [as it were...]), and the "Powers" of Greg Benford's fiction.

We will see continuing progress in systematic neurophysics over the next 10 years or so...Aging/Death can, of course, now be systematically conquered (see Aubrey de Grey's stuff), if only we fund and empower such a research program (which is already *bootstrapping* itself, anyway!)

If we, each of us, survive the next 10-20 years (lamentably a still-somewhat-open question; though the odds [and the gods?!!] are on our side!), then we may each of us eventually transcend into meta-cosmic beings of almost unimaginable power & intelligence/wisdom. Our choices today effect whether we are stepping toward this Transcension or thwarting it. I highly recommend that fans & friends of this site study both law (jurisprudence) and **economics** and the interface of the two. A great basic intro and discussion of economics can be had by reading Thomas Sowell's germinal classic, *Knowledge & Decisions*, and, as one might gather from my previous remarks, I also recommend studying Louis Kelso's stuff, as well as that of his intellectual heir, Prof. of Law (Syracuse U.) Robert Ashford...

Thank you all for your kind attention. I'll shut-up now...

Live long & prosper,

MCP2012

MCP2012,

Thanks for bringing in the "Metrons" and "Organians", two races which represented the most advanced intelligences encountered in the original Star Trek. Interestingly, I've never considered 'Q' a higher intelligence, as his actions and behaviors are that of a child.

One of my favorite scenes from the original series is when Kirk, after refusing to kill the Gorgon, stands before the Metron as he bestows a small piece of wisdom and parental guidance towards our race. He says that perhaps in a 1000 years we might be advanced enough to relate to them. Made me think that they are way-out there both in technological terms, but also ontological-experiential-aethetic. Of course when that episode first aired, little was known of the accelerating nature of change now upon us, and the singularity-like horizon that now appears to us from the vantage of point of knowing soon Intelligence Increase will become part of that acceleration.

Yes, there are so many scenarios that count down to 2012 that SOMETHING has to happen! Perhaps Drexler will power up the first molecular assembler, or the first AI will open its eyes. (I say we name it Wintermute :) ) The whole galactic center scenario is really the strongest case for the date. Its incontrovertible that our alignment with the center is near, and its also plausible that the ancient Mayan astronomers (as well as those from other cultures) foresaw this.

Hey -- if a publisher would come along and pay to house and feed me for the next 12 months, I'd transcribe McKenna's lectures myself!

Yeah, Broderick's Spike was 90% a great text. But he really shafted McKenna. I think Broderick tends to be short-sighted a bit with theories that don't fit his personal world-view. But I still recommend The Spike and his fiction. He is a wonderful writer.

I personally hope that post-humans (or Exes, as Moravec termed them) aren't all as childish as Q. He's great fun, but I hope we'll all be a little more helpful with our neighbors on the far side of the universe than he was. But the ST comparison is well put -- and it had never occured to me either.

"The Age of Enlightenment has yet to fully flower" -- that is very well put.

In one of Terence's lectures he talked about a forthcoming (this was in 1993) version of Timewave Zero that would be more of a "game" where the user would tour history and learn more about specific peaks and dips in the wave. Did this version ever become a reality? The latest version I've ever seen (still running on DOS) was one where several other "tweaks" were included as optional modifications. I'd appreciate anyone's input on that.
Thanks.

Some rather castigating comments on this paper, and my hurriedly written response can be found here on my blog:

http://upwinger.blogspot.com/2005/05/singularity-as-archetype-some.html

--Upwinger

regarding "evolution" per se,who will control and have access to nanotech,biotech and cryogenics?right now they seem to be in the grasp of government and military.is this going to change?
i am intrigued,entertained and experience some trancendance as i listen to terence talk about the mind through the plant experience and the advent of the eschaton.....meanwhile some humour deprived types are building robot armies to do shit at thier command.it is not a matter of ethics or morals,it`s merely a matter of how to get the prototype into production.we are asleep in a fuedal maelstrom with corporations and governments(maybe they`re all one word by now.)running the show.i think the eschaton will arrive when megacorp amalgamates with uber inc. and the facade comes down.
i realised that charlie brown will continue to try to kick the ball and lucy will snatch it away each time.that is politics.if we manage to resist the urge to take a kick then we start to look at the process differently.it doesn`t make the issues go away but it allows a different reaction to form and different perceptions to occur.
nothing helps,though.the first atomic bomb didn`t strip off the atmosphere of the planet but who`s to say we won`t succeed eventually.
silly humans.great toys,though.
my belief is that we are an engineered species and the engineers may return to claim thier prize,whatever that may be.

"who will control and have access to nanotech,biotech and cryogenics?"

Hopefully Foresight will be able to keep a firm grasp on nano, at least in the beginning. Biotech it seems will eventually be available to all as the cost continues to drop. And cryo is still a hard sell (unfortunately).

"we are asleep in a fuedal maelstrom with corporations and governments(maybe they`re all one word by now.)running the show."

Well then -- its time to WAKE UP! It is the masses that allow them their power. Whatever happened to government representing the will of the masses? It seems at this point impossible to get the 'right man/woman' in office to do the right job. What we need is an uplifting of the masses -- a boost in global consciousness. One that will render the modern 'corporate/state' obsolete.

"i think the eschaton will arrive when megacorp amalgamates with uber inc. and the facade comes down."

As McKenna so eloquently put it: "Buisiness as usual is off the menu!" All facades will fall when the Eschaton arrives. But the breakthrough, I firmly believe, will not be the crumbling of the old world, but the emergence of the new bursting forth from the confines of the old.

Politics is the mind chasing its tail. We're so damn dizzy with all this going in circles that its hard to see the future clearly. The mass mind needs to be stilled for a bit before we can see what lies ahead.

"my belief is that we are an engineered species "

Nah -- not yet. There is still hope. If you find it difficult to see where the optimism lies, I would suggest looking at what F.M. Esfandiary (aka FM-2030) had to say. He opened my eyes to a new way of seeing I never knew was possible. I'd quote here, but I wouldnt know where to stop.

thanks upwinger.i find my optimism in the joy of my children,the smell of the lilacs from my niegbour`s garden and a trillion other reasons for happiness.i am not waiting for the eschaton,though i am intrigued with the concept,i will live my joys both now and then.
regarding waking up......that is a personal choice,not a political one.god forbid that that should actually happen politically,anarchy is never a pleasant thing.
the thing that i get from the spiritual path is non-attachment,though commenting here tends to be a process of "attaching".i find a fascination in seeing myself doing things,from a detached,non-judging position and gaining some sense of peace as a result."knocking the peaks off the mountains"as i once heard it described.
wake up from what?how did we become asleep in the world? i don`t have an answer,all i know is that i`ve always not been asleep and so,even as a young child,my awake state allowed me a different perspective.it never gives any answers,though....just different questions.

and about the engineered species bit,check out www.lloydpye.com for some questions without answers.

2012? Are you all out of your minds? I can't see signs ANYWHERE of an impending technological "singularity". Sorry to say this folks, but your magic date 2012 will come and go without major incident. These technologies you speak of won't come in time to save us from dying, they're at least 60 to 100 years away. Unless you're signed up for cryonics, we may have to miss out on this wonderous future.

MysticMonkeyGuru --

Honestly, I dont think any of us here are arguing that 2012 is in any way a definitive marker. It would be incomparably wonderful is a major breakthrough did occur that soon -- but you are right about the lack of "signs." There's always room for a miracle, though. But the important part (in my opinion) is that there now is a relatively common goal in mind. A universal, all-inclusive goal that is feasible, desirable, and achievable. No one can predict the time frame exactly. Any prediction is an act of hope, and that in itself may be just enough revolution to get the whole thing rolling. At least that's my hope. ;)

--Upwinger

if we keep monkeying with nanotechnology,and i`m sure we will,then we are for the highjump sooner or later.if that doesn`t draw the curtain on our particular species then whatever the network of computers becomes as it emulates conciousness will undoubtably swat us back to the stone age.emulate....i like that word.it gives enough wiggle room that the ego doesn`t fizz out on the idea of a computer waking up.it will emulate enough survival programs and strategies in it`s first few seconds of awareness that we won`t know what hit us.who`s bright idea was it to put weapon targeting systems online?are you sure they aren`t?

I hope no one will take offense, but I'm curious to know why those with a pessimistic outlook on the future (especially its technological and cosmological aspects) would bother hanging around a website that more or less embraces these aspects of the future in a postive and optimistic way?

Grumbling aside -- it seems to me that if the definition of AI is dependant upon a superhuman level of intelligence, then defensive survival mechanisms associated with more primitive levels of intelligence should be no cause for worry. I find it fairly absurd that a superhuman intelligence would revert to such simian traits. The forward plunge of conscious evolution will continue to precipitate greater levels of order, not chaos. Its hard to believe that anyone intelligent enough to operate a molecular assembler or dissasembler would contemplate turning the technology against humankind. It seems to me the sort of intellect required to grasp nanotech precludes the possibility of of its malicious misuse.

I for one refuse to believe that hatred and destructiveness are intrinsic parts of our 'human nature.' These were part of our simian nature, portions we have been slowly sloughing off for quite some time like a decaying skin. Truly, it is the beginnings of a new human creature we are seeing in the promises of AI and nanotech. A newer, wiser, older serpent with a shiny new colorful skin.

...

I find it entirely plausible that life on this planet, humankind in particular, was deliberately seeded by an advanced intelligence. What I do not find plausible is that an intelligence advanced enough to be capable of such an undertaking would be in any way malicious.
The evolution of matter, the evolution of intellect, the evolution of spirit -- all these are one and the same. For a race to be intellectually and materially advanced, they would have to be just as spiritually advanced. Involvement with a high technolgy such as the genesis of life itself necessarily implies a familiarity with the inviolable sacredness of sentient existence. None can unravel the cosmic mysteries without a wholistic and universal perspective.
And it is with universal values in mind that today's bravest intellects are contemplating nano, biotech, and AI (et al). If we ourselves end up designing a new breed of sentient beings, it will not bring dire catastrophe, but will instead signal a new movement in the cosmic dance, and can only add further greatness to the legacy of those who seeded us so long ago.

Thanks Upwinger for keeping the spirit of this site alive while I was goofing off at this years Minds States. Keep up the good work!

Yes, I too share your grumbling. I don't mind if people have a pessimistic view, but on this site I almost REQUIRE that they FIRST read everything on the site - and I mean EVERYTHING that has been written, BEFORE doing so. The reason why is that almost every negative mindset that people throw at the future these days has ALREADY been refuted numerous times in tons of articles written by me and many others. So my grumbling comes from people arguing from ignorance. Pessimism is ok, but they better have a damn good evidence or solid refutation of the arguments presented over the last two years here.

no apologies for the pessimism.the logic that any advanced civilisation capable of advanced technologies is incapable of the negative characteristics of humans is faulty.we are presupposing some higher level of moral and ethics.it hasn`t happened on the surface of the planet in recorded history.we are human,warts and all and i believe the cortical circuit refered to above is reptilian,not simian.
i love the idea of an optimistic utopia here but it occurs through groups,like this one,enjoying the simple exchange of ideas within the context of this blog.we can`t afford to attempt imprint this onto all of existance simply by making a rule that nobody be pessimistic.it would work for the endorphine levels of the readership but the other portion of humanity would continue,as usual.there is no refuting the simple fact that humans will one up each other as they get the new gun/bomb/delivery system.
the eschaton will wipe the slate clean,given that it occurs.then,if memory is preserved we can continue this discussion in the light of new developements.
i can also agree to stop posting,with respect to your territory,because it is your space,but it won`t change the fact that different viewpoints exist,based on your writings,that of the mckennas,kant,hiedigger,aristotle,hitler,macciavelli,etc.people will sanction eachother to the highest courts over who`s dog pissed on the grass, never mind the lengths some will go to control the conciousness of the planet.
i hold the highest optimism for local experience,that of myself and my family and community,but outside of that all bets are off.
i`m not really sure why timothy leary wanted to be frozen.his whole trip was to expand out into the stars.i think he`d be really disappointed to be dragged back here after tripping across the infinite universe.
just my opinion.
cheers,alistair.

"I have HAD it. I have had it with crack houses, dictatorships, torture chambers, disease, old age, spinal paralysis, and world hunger. I have had it with a planetary death rate of 150,000 sentient beings per day. I have had it with this planet. I have had it with mortality. NONE of this is necessary. The time has come to stop turning away from the mugging on the corner, the beggar on the street. It is no longer necessary to look nervously away, repeating the mantra: "I can't solve all the problems of the world." We CAN. We can END this." -- E. Yudkowsky, 'Staring into the Singularity'

Optimism.
Abundance.
Universalism.
Immortality.

These are our goals -- our destiny -- and we will not stop until they are reached!
If the rest of humanity wants to play the old sorry game of killing each other off -- so be it!
The transhumans shall inherit the earth!

--Upwinger