Re:Ray Kurzweil 2019 Predictions
by erikpukinskis on Wednesday January 02, 2019 @10:52AM
(#18806941)
That said, if he’s right about the singularity we should cut him some slack on the exact dates. As Elon Musk frequently points out, a small variation in the timing of an S-curve can make huge differences in the value at specific dates.
I don't think that means cutting him some slack, that means that he shouldn't be so foolish as to make such specific claims about such specific timings.
Also, my impression of Kurzweil was that he didn't think in S-curves, but assumed technological progress follows an unbounded exponential curve - which is why he thinks he'll become immortal and bring his father back from the dead.
Given his belief in a technological singularity, and the underlying assumption that infinite, exponential technological expansion is not only possible but inevitable, this shouldn't surprise anyone. All of his predictions are essentially religious prophecies of the coming of the Eschaton.