Exponentially Growing Ignorance and Greed

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Frozen bodies, brains uploaded to computers, and the singularity - the point when robots surpass human intelligence. According to Ray Kurzweil and other spectators, this is what lies in the inevitable future. A century ago, people considered eternal life to be unachievable and a concept only related to the ancient gods. Futurists and scientists have recently started to believe that immortality is within our reach, which has captivated human interest. People find the concept promising and continue to invest in the process, without realizing the potential dangers that come with it. The technological revolution has spurned both societal ignorance and greed, and it will continue to degrade human values leaving future generations craving more than before. Back when there were not rapid advances in technology, people were living agreeably amongst each other. They used candles, wrote letters, and invested their time in reading and gaining more knowledge. They did not have all the luxuries people have today, but they were content. They valued education, the arts, and hard work. In Europe, people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo, Copernicus, Monet, Einstein, and others strove to depict the beauty of their world and find explanations to natural phenomena. Richard Eckersley wrote, “It doesn’t make evolutionary sense to believe humans lived in misery until we discovered technological progress.” When people did not realize the potential of technology, they lived their life in contentment. Once people became aware of the fact that they could perform tasks quicker with the newer technology, they began wanting more of it. Scientists began researching and conducting experiments to enhance the new inventions. As they found ways to produce items... ... middle of paper ... ...l start to desire a new item, something that will continue to improve life for them. Kurzweil and his followers are ignorant to the fact that even if we can give super intelligence to machines, it will not rid life of all of its impurities but simply bring more unforeseen, unpredictable consequences to our future. Works Cited Cobb, Kurt. "The Singularity: The Fantasy and Its Effect." Resource Insights. Blogspot, 4 Dec. 2008. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. Eckersley, Richard. "Techo-Utopia and Human Values." The Futurist Nov.-Dec. 2001. Print. Joy, Bill. "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us." Wired.com. Apr. 2000. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Kurzweil, Ray. "Reinventing Humanity: the Future of Machine-human Intelligence." The Futurist 1 Mar. 2006. Print. Meehan, Courtney. "Immortality, Transhumanism, and Ray Kurzweil’s Singularity." THE TECHNOLOGICAL CITIZEN. 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 9 Dec. 2011.

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