Ray Kurzweil

From RationalWiki
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(Transferable expertise: refs)
(Transferable expertise)
Line 8: Line 8:
  
 
==Transferable expertise==
 
==Transferable expertise==
Kurzweil has an unfortunate tendency to think that being brilliant at computer science means every other specialty can be [[engineers and woo|treated as a special case of computer science]]. He thinks that the genome contains all the information needed to grow a brain, therefore it is a problem of [[wikipedia:Kolmogorov complexity|Kolmogorov complexity]] and computer science, therefore we will be able to simulate one on computers within twenty years of 2010.<ref>Kurzweil, Ray. [http://www.kurzweilai.net/ray-kurzweil-responds-to-ray-kurzweil-does-not-understand-the-brain "Ray Kurzweil Responds to 'Ray Kurzweil does not understand the brain'."] ''Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence'' blog, 2010-08-20.</ref> Experts on the evolution of brains think Kurzweil does not understand biology and thinks the genome works like a blueprint, whereas most qualified biologists think the right analogy is a recipe that takes as a starting assumption ''the rest of life on Earth''.<ref>[[PZ Myers]]. [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/ray_kurzweil_does_not_understa.php "Ray Kurzweil does not understand the brain."] ''Pharyngula'', 2010-08-17.</ref> In the case of the human brain, it literally cannot physically develop correctly except in the presence of a human ''culture''.<ref>Really: if you're not brought up by humans, bits of your brain don't grow right. ''e.g.'' if you're brought up by wolves, you'll never learn a language. Kurzweil may be technically, though not usefully, approximately correct about the genome containing almost all the information needed to grow a fresh newborn's brain.</ref> This leads to a certain exasperation on the part of those who actually know what they're talking about.<ref>[[PZ Myers]]. [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/kurzweil_still_doesnt_understa.php "Kurzweil still doesn't understand the brain."] ''Pharyngula'', 2010-08-21.</ref>
+
Kurzweil has an unfortunate tendency to think that being brilliant at computer science means every other specialty can be [[engineers and woo|treated as a special case of computer science]]. He thinks that the genome contains all the information needed to grow a brain, therefore it is a problem of [[wikipedia:Kolmogorov complexity|Kolmogorov complexity]] and computer science, therefore we will be able to simulate one on computers within twenty years of 2010.<ref>Kurzweil, Ray. [http://www.kurzweilai.net/ray-kurzweil-responds-to-ray-kurzweil-does-not-understand-the-brain "Ray Kurzweil Responds to 'Ray Kurzweil does not understand the brain'."] ''Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence'' blog, 2010-08-20.</ref> Experts on the evolution of brains think Kurzweil does not understand biology and thinks the genome works like a blueprint, whereas most qualified biologists think the right analogy is a recipe that takes as a starting assumption the informational content of ''the rest of life on Earth''.<ref>[[PZ Myers]]. [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/ray_kurzweil_does_not_understa.php "Ray Kurzweil does not understand the brain."] ''Pharyngula'', 2010-08-17.</ref> In the case of the human brain, it literally cannot physically develop correctly except in the presence of a human ''culture''.<ref>Really: if you're not brought up by humans, bits of your brain don't grow right. ''e.g.'' if you're brought up by wolves, you'll never learn a language. Kurzweil may be technically, though not usefully, approximately correct about the genome containing almost all the information needed to grow a fresh newborn's brain.</ref> This leads to a certain exasperation on the part of those who actually know what they're talking about.<ref>[[PZ Myers]]. [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/kurzweil_still_doesnt_understa.php "Kurzweil still doesn't understand the brain."] ''Pharyngula'', 2010-08-21.</ref>
  
 
==Singularity University==
 
==Singularity University==

Revision as of 10:06, 21 March 2011

Trust me.

Ray Kurzweil is a well-known futurist and advocate of the transhumanist belief cluster with a truly overwhelming fear of death. He makes predictions about what science and humanity will achieve in the next ten, twenty, or hundred years, and the press lap it up.

Contents

The good stuff

Kurzweil is, in fact, a genius. He was a major pioneer in the fields of optical character recognition and computer-assisted reading (Stevie Wonder is a personal friend of his) as well as digital music synthesis (his K250 keyboard was the first to use recorded samples for tone generation). [1]

Transferable expertise

Kurzweil has an unfortunate tendency to think that being brilliant at computer science means every other specialty can be treated as a special case of computer science. He thinks that the genome contains all the information needed to grow a brain, therefore it is a problem of Kolmogorov complexity and computer science, therefore we will be able to simulate one on computers within twenty years of 2010.[2] Experts on the evolution of brains think Kurzweil does not understand biology and thinks the genome works like a blueprint, whereas most qualified biologists think the right analogy is a recipe that takes as a starting assumption the informational content of the rest of life on Earth.[3] In the case of the human brain, it literally cannot physically develop correctly except in the presence of a human culture.[4] This leads to a certain exasperation on the part of those who actually know what they're talking about.[5]

Singularity University

Kurzweil is keen to share his knowledge and insight. You, yes you the corporate executive, can spend $15,000 of company money on a 9-day Executive Training Session, or a 10-week graduate studies course for $25,000, to learn all about exponentially advancing technologies.[6]

Nanotechnology

In line with most misconceptions about nanotechnology, Kurzweil thinks nanobots of the "industrial robot scaled down a billion times" kind are achievable,[7] rather than requiring violations of physics.[8] He then actively propagates this misconception.

Nutritional woo

He is very fond of nutritional supplements (he takes 200 vitamin pills a day)[9] and alkaline water[10] and getting scientifically untested longevity treatments. When his followers start an argument with "look, Kurzweil's a smart guy, right?" see if they will acknowledge his propensity for untested alt-med woo as being prima facie evidence that his undoubted intelligence in no way means he isn't capable of being utterly wrong.

He also sells nutritional supplements for longevity[11] which are as good as any others, i.e. 0% solid verified science and 100% wishful thinking. So is he a charlatan or a fool?

Thankfully, even singularitarians are starting to show signs of embarrassment at Kurzweil's undeniable left turn into obvious pseudoscience.[12]

Footnotes

  1. Kurzweil Music Systems, originally based in Massachusetts, was sold to a Korean company now owned by Hyundai in 1990; Kurzweil was brought back as chief strategist in 2007.
  2. Kurzweil, Ray. "Ray Kurzweil Responds to 'Ray Kurzweil does not understand the brain'." Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence blog, 2010-08-20.
  3. PZ Myers. "Ray Kurzweil does not understand the brain." Pharyngula, 2010-08-17.
  4. Really: if you're not brought up by humans, bits of your brain don't grow right. e.g. if you're brought up by wolves, you'll never learn a language. Kurzweil may be technically, though not usefully, approximately correct about the genome containing almost all the information needed to grow a fresh newborn's brain.
  5. PZ Myers. "Kurzweil still doesn't understand the brain." Pharyngula, 2010-08-21.
  6. http://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/ray-kurzweils-slippery-futurism/0
  7. http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2005/02/66585
  8. Rupturing The Nanotech Rapture: Biological nanobots could repair and improve the human body, but they'll be more bio than bot Richard A.L. Jones, IEEE Spectrum, June 2008
  9. Gary Wolf. "Futurist Ray Kurzweil Pulls Out All the Stops (and Pills) to Live to Witness the Singularity." Wired 16 4, April 2008.
  10. This reads like a parody of the concept of woo.
  11. http://www.rayandterry.com/index.asp
  12. It's not all about Ray: There's more to Singularity studies than Kurzweil (George Dvorsky, Sentient Developments blog, 2010-08-23)
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support