Comments on: The Singularity and Global Warming http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/ Buddhist Geek, Teacher, Explorer Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:43:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tacnet http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-736 Tacnet Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:27:14 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-736 - We should be more concerned about Global Warming and Climate Change because Typhoons are getting much stronger and there are greater incidence of Flooding. take for example the recent Typhoon Ketsana which devastated some countries in South East Asia. - We should be more concerned about Global Warming and Climate Change because Typhoons are getting much stronger and there are greater incidence of Flooding. take for example the recent Typhoon Ketsana which devastated some countries in South East Asia.

]]> By: Vince http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-735 Vince Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:57:08 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-735 I just wanted to point out that Chris has a great post on his blog that discusses this same issue, called <a href="http://indistinctunion.blogspot.com/2006/08/kurz-borg.html" rel="nofollow">Kurz-borg</a>. I just wanted to point out that Chris has a great post on his blog that discusses this same issue, called Kurz-borg.

]]> By: ~C4Chaos http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-734 ~C4Chaos Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:27:26 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-734 this is a cool find Dawg. been trying to look for a Kurzweil statement on Climate Change. i've always suspected that Kurzweil's position would be something like this. and i personally believe that this is the more "positive" approach. but since i also believe that we have to do something about the environment, with or without climate change, i do more walking than driving ;) i also went ahead and re-posted this on <a href="http://pods.zaadz.com/singularity/discussions/view/42607" rel="nofollow">zPod:Singularity</a> and <a href="http://pods.zaadz.com/climate_change/discussions/view/42609" rel="nofollow">zPod:CLIMATE CHANGE</a> so we can share the knowledge :) thanks! <strong><em>~C (for <a href="http://pods.zaadz.com/climate_change" rel="nofollow">Climate Change</a> is within samasara)</em></strong> this is a cool find Dawg. been trying to look for a Kurzweil statement on Climate Change. i’ve always suspected that Kurzweil’s position would be something like this. and i personally believe that this is the more “positive” approach. but since i also believe that we have to do something about the environment, with or without climate change, i do more walking than driving ;)

i also went ahead and re-posted this on zPod:Singularity and zPod:CLIMATE CHANGE so we can share the knowledge :)

thanks!

~C (for Climate Change is within samasara)

]]> By: Siona http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-733 Siona Sat, 12 Aug 2006 19:52:08 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-733 You're such a treat, Vince. Thanks for that elaboration. To reference the first <i>Spiderman</i> film, it behooves all of us to remember that with great power comes great responsibility. (I suppose credit ought go to FDR, but the nanotechonology angle makes the former seem a little more relevant.) I do still hold to a dumb faith that compassion and love will continue to prevail, and I have faith that maintaining that awareness and growing that trust and recognizing, too, the interconnectivity of everything on this wee planet, will allow us to continue . . . but still, things can get exciting. We do seem to excel at living on the brink. You’re such a treat, Vince. Thanks for that elaboration. To reference the first Spiderman film, it behooves all of us to remember that with great power comes great responsibility. (I suppose credit ought go to FDR, but the nanotechonology angle makes the former seem a little more relevant.) I do still hold to a dumb faith that compassion and love will continue to prevail, and I have faith that maintaining that awareness and growing that trust and recognizing, too, the interconnectivity of everything on this wee planet, will allow us to continue . . . but still, things can get exciting. We do seem to excel at living on the brink.

]]> By: Vince http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-732 Vince Sat, 12 Aug 2006 19:29:43 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-732 Thanks for the link Siona! I checked out the post itself, but not the following discussion. To address your point specifically, which seems to be the following: Even though nanotechnology (or any radical shift in technology) can solve problems created by previous technological eras (in this case the industrial technologies that have contaminated the atmosphere with <abbr title="Green House Gases">GHG</abbr>'s) it doesn't mean that new problems don't emerge with these new technologies. Problems that are likely much more serious. Yes, yes, yes. I completely agree with you on this point. In many ways what we are dealing with (and will continue to deal with) are problems of interior development. We will always have to strive to keep these vast technologies in check. It's true, as the people at I-I point out, that industrial technologies don't represent a threat to the entire biosphere, so in a sense it isn't a full "planetary crisis" but really much more of a "human crisis." Even if the atmospheric conditions change dramatically it is super unlikely that we will be able to take out all creatures on the planet, or hurt the planet itself. But nanotechnology does represent a threat to the entire biosphere (if <a href="http://www.crnano.org/developing.htm" rel="nofollow">molecular manufacturing</a> is achieved of course). That scale of destruction is enormous!!! We could in theory wipe out the entire 4 billion years of evolution this planet has seen, perhaps in the next 20 years. So, yeah... I'm totally with you that what is need is a "perceptual shift." Nothing else will do the job, not even nanotechnology if it's being used by the same minds that created this human crisis. Thanks for the link Siona! I checked out the post itself, but not the following discussion.

To address your point specifically, which seems to be the following: Even though nanotechnology (or any radical shift in technology) can solve problems created by previous technological eras (in this case the industrial technologies that have contaminated the atmosphere with GHG‘s) it doesn’t mean that new problems don’t emerge with these new technologies. Problems that are likely much more serious.

Yes, yes, yes. I completely agree with you on this point. In many ways what we are dealing with (and will continue to deal with) are problems of interior development. We will always have to strive to keep these vast technologies in check.

It’s true, as the people at I-I point out, that industrial technologies don’t represent a threat to the entire biosphere, so in a sense it isn’t a full “planetary crisis” but really much more of a “human crisis.” Even if the atmospheric conditions change dramatically it is super unlikely that we will be able to take out all creatures on the planet, or hurt the planet itself. But nanotechnology does represent a threat to the entire biosphere (if molecular manufacturing is achieved of course). That scale of destruction is enormous!!! We could in theory wipe out the entire 4 billion years of evolution this planet has seen, perhaps in the next 20 years.

So, yeah… I’m totally with you that what is need is a “perceptual shift.” Nothing else will do the job, not even nanotechnology if it’s being used by the same minds that created this human crisis.

]]> By: duff http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-731 duff Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:46:04 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-731 Interesting. Thanks for posting this! Interesting. Thanks for posting this!

]]> By: Siona http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/comment-page-1/#comment-730 Siona Sat, 12 Aug 2006 16:50:19 +0000 http://www.vincenthorn.com/2006/08/12/the-singularity-and-global-warming/#comment-730 You may have already seen it, but there's a related discussion <a href="http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2006/05/the_global_warn.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. I'd encourage looking at the rest of the blog; what I find most fascinating about this potential "way out" is that, while it presents a possible physical / scientific solution, it contributes to <a href="http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm" rel="nofollow"> significant moral and ethical dilemmas</a>. Our response to the current planetary crisis seems proof positive that we're not exactly poised to respond elegantly to these challenges. It's for this reason that I keep urging the essential nature of a perceptual shift . . . But I'll try to keep from grinding my axe here. ;) You may have already seen it, but there’s a related discussion here. I’d encourage looking at the rest of the blog; what I find most fascinating about this potential “way out” is that, while it presents a possible physical / scientific solution, it contributes to significant moral and ethical dilemmas. Our response to the current planetary crisis seems proof positive that we’re not exactly poised to respond elegantly to these challenges. It’s for this reason that I keep urging the essential nature of a perceptual shift . . . But I’ll try to keep from grinding my axe here. ;)

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