The merge of a man (full of emotions, feelings, and creative thought) and technology (a fast thinking, computing, and calculating machine) seems unreal but inevitable at the same time when you stop to think about all of the technological advances in the last 100 years. I can’t go for either side of the argument in saying the singularity is a good or bad thing. It is true that it would make human brains faster and stronger, and it would be the only way to keep up with the intelligence of technology since computers “keep on developing until they are far more intelligent.” However, it is hard to imagine a robot that has the emotion and humanity of well, a human. I would lean in the side of the singularity having a negative effect; the thought of not being able to control technology is frightening.
Humanity is something often taken for granted by some scientists and those in favor of a single type of ‘human’- one made of man and machine. The qualities of being human include free thought, free choice (even if it is only justified by emotion/ feelings), and the appreciation for things of nature or an art form. Grossman states, “Creating a work of art is one of those activities we reserve for humans and humans only.” Technology shouldn’t be allowed the privilege to create a work of art that Picasso or Monet has. That is a painting that a human made, and a human can appreciate. If you put those paintings in front of a robot it would do such things as analyze the brushstroke patters and use of colors, not the beauty of it. The singularity would take away from our humanity, definitely. Also, human qualities include dying. The singularity would in fact cheat death and illnesses that keep humans living to their full potential- wanting to accomplish all they can before dying. The fact of cheating death is quite scary, in our generation death in inevitable; but in Kurzweil’s eyes, the singularity in inevitable.
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