Humanity 2.0

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Humanity 2.0. The singularity is coming is the German translation of Ray Kurzweil's Classic of Transhumanism The Singularity Is Near. When Humans Transcend Biology . At the center of this work is the so-called technological singularity , a revolutionary event that the author estimates for the year 2045, and the far-reaching consequences that this event will have for humanity.

Main thesis

The central thesis of the book is that the technological growth - contrary to our intuitive understanding - in all areas, as soon as they are subject to information technology, does not take place linearly but exponentially. Because information technology is advancing into more and more areas of knowledge and sciences, for example currently in biology or neurosciences, our entire knowledge and thus also our technical possibilities are growing exponentially. Exponential growth knows a "kink in the curve" from which the apparently slow and steady growth suddenly increases explosively. This kink is expected to be reached in 2045 and means that the knowledge and technical possibilities of mankind will explode. This event, called Technological Singularity by Kurzweil, will fundamentally change humanity.

Basic concepts

Technological singularity

Kurzweil borrowed the concept of technological singularity from mathematics and physics. It defines a point beyond which no further predictions are possible, similar to the event horizon of a black hole, with which he also compares the singularity. Due to the exponential growth in all areas of knowledge and sciences that are subject to information technology, a technological singularity will arise in the near future: In this context, there will be such an explosive increase in knowledge and possibilities that it is currently impossible to understand the consequences of this predict all areas of life of a revolutionary event. The author dates the technological singularity to the year 2045 and at least makes reasonable assumptions about what the consequences for humanity could be.

Law of increasing earnings growth

The exponential growth of information technology follows the law of increasing earnings growth. This explains why evolutionary processes are getting faster and faster and why their products multiply exponentially. According to Kurzweil, evolution creates patterns of a higher order that are usually, but not always, more complex. These higher-order patterns have a feedback effect: They help to reach the next level of evolution, and in an ever shorter time. The best known, if not the only example of the law of increasing yield growth is Moore's law .

GNR

GNR is made up of the initials of the terms genetics, nanotechnology and robotics. The exponential growth of information technology will also encompass these three areas one after the other, with the information technology revolution of one area leading to the next. The exponential growth in the field of robotics ultimately leads to the technological singularity. As a result of the genetic revolution, it will be possible for humans to intervene directly and purposefully in their genetic make-up and to change them. This makes it possible, for example, to slow down or even stop the aging of cells. The nanotechnological revolution enables people to carry out molecular production on the atomic level and to rebuild the world atom by atom. The scarcity of raw materials as we know it will no longer exist for mankind; everything will be in abundance. The revolution in robotics ultimately leads to the creation of "strong artificial intelligence"; H. artificial intelligence that reaches the level of human intelligence and will soon surpass it. This powerful AI will continue to drive the exponential growth of information technology, and at an unprecedented pace. Humanity will increasingly fuse with this artificial intelligence and leave its biological existence behind in order to continue to exist on other, more permanent substrates.

expenditure

  • English original: Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology , New York, Penguin 2005, ISBN 978-0-14-303788-0 .
  • German translation: Ray Kurzweil, Menschheit 2.0. The singularity is approaching , 2nd revised edition, Berlin, Lola Books 2014, ISBN 978-3-944203-08-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Ray Kurzweil: Mankind 2.0. The singularity is approaching , 2nd revised edition, Berlin, Lola Books 2014, p. 11.
  2. ↑ See Ray Kurzweil, Menschheit 2.0. The singularity is approaching , 2nd, reviewed edition, Berlin, Lola Books 2014, p. 134 f.
  3. ↑ See Ray Kurzweil, Menschheit 2.0. The singularity is near , 2nd, reviewed edition, Berlin, Lola Books 2014, pp. 35–42.