Live Forever as Cybernetic Humans, The Singularity
Nano science and nanotechnology will expand our current foray into internal diagnostic machines with molecular motors and sensors, creating millions of embedded roving systems inside our body that communicate with each other to find damage and fix our cells, tissues, and organs. Currently, clinical cancer research and laboratories are testing simpler nano tools such as quantum dots, dendrimers, nano-shells and other molecular sized anti-cancer nano structures to travel to cancer cells, identify them, and destroy them without harming healthy cells. This paradigm change is just the beginning of medicines search for the new mechanisms of action that the quantum properties of nano-machines can give us.
Technology will change us as the singularity approaches with the incorporation of intelligent computers and smart machines which has been nicely explained by Ray Kurzweil shown in the next video.
Living forever is inevitable because of the forces that drive humans and machines. The observational rule of thumb, that is used to develop and predict what type of products or systems we will be using, is called “the law of accelerating returns” which is often expressed as “Moore’s law”. The law of accelerating returns shows us that human technological advancement is tied to human evolution, transitioning humanities development out of the traditional biological realm and combining with a new standard, the rapid pace of computing and machinery. The law of accelerating returns is showing us how computing speeds up the rate of our evolution because computing can often give humans better tools and understanding then our brains, eyes, hands, and ears can. We then apply this new data and analysis to create new tools and machines, and rapidly gain even better data and analysis to create even better tools and machines. The process is much faster than the human biological pace (using only our body and mind). This process of incorporating computers and machines to do more than our biological mind and body, can quickly advance humanities capabilities. The law of accelerating returns is showing how the current advances in regenerative medicine, cybernetic limbs and organs, computer brain interfaces, and life extension practices has placed the majority of humans into the longevity escape velocity category. The rapid boost in knowledge and capability will also increase our will and desire as our biological and nonbiological body uses increased: energy, focus, sensations, understanding, and much deeper personal relationships.
Humanity's current brutish level of caring, causes most people to accept the disease, frailty, and death of our loved ones. Our lack of knowing what to do about stopping death translates into acceptance of the death of 100,000 people each day. But this acceptance is starting to change. More people are taking responsibility to bring healthy life extending technology and accelerating intelligence into our lives. As each individual makes the conscious choice to help change medicine into a molecular and cellular level preventative and regenerative practice, our level of caring will increase and our tolerance for the acceptance of disease, frailty, and death will vanish.
Since computers can now figure out things a million times faster than humans, and machines are more precise and tireless, our ability to evolve is becoming faster and faster. The law of accelerating returns is now speeding our development and understanding in all fields, and while one field may be going a little faster than another, the average rule of thumb is that humanity is doubling its knowledge and abilities every 12 to 18 months (actually, that speed is increasing). That means in ten years we will be advancing 1,000 times faster than we are today, a million times faster in 20 years, and a billion times faster in 30 years.
Here is Reese Jones explaining what a singularity is by showing the different singularities that occur during our life. His examples clearly show how unknowable the outcome of each specific singularity will be. Reese Jones has a background in biophysics and human brain research. Reese serves as a Trustee for Singularity University and is a member of the Genetics Advisory Council at Harvard Medical School. Ray Kurzweil’s detailed descriptions showing the implications of the law of accelerating returns on the evolution of bio/nano/comp leading up to the technological 2045 singularity can become singularities that disrupt entire industries, cultures, and religions. Recent unexpected paradigms include the creation of synthetic life by Craig Venter’s team, IBM’s Watson, inexpensive personal genomes, growing and printing human body organs, free genome complier for genetic engineering, regenerating organs in vivo, synthetic biology, the first commercial sale of a quantum computer, nanoviricides, and a DNA laser printer.
Several other phenomena that are making this 12 to 18 month doubling rate speed up, even faster, include the ability of the individual and small groups to create new industries that humanity has never had before. These are known as DIY (Do it yourself) innovators and the techno philanthropists that finance new tech. We no longer need governments or large corporations to create a new dynamic industry that will change the course of humanity; just an individual, or small group of dedicated innovators. That is because our laptops and scientific equipment are more advanced and hundreds of times cheaper, allowing small companies to create much better solutions then governments and the biggest corporations ever have. The techno philanthropists that have generated vast fortunes early in life are quickly using that money to sponsor many newer disruptive technologies to catapult us out of the quagmire of poverty, pollution, hunger, disease, scarcity, frailty, aging, and death that has been a part of every human’s life during this early evolutionary period of humanity.
