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RobinHanson comments on A Less Wrong singularity article? - Less Wrong
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A problem with this proposal is whether this paper can be seen as authorative. A critic might worry that if they study and respond to this paper they will be told it does not represent the best pro-Singularity arguments. So the paper would need to be endorsed enough to gain enough status to become worth criticizing.
The way to an authoritative paper is not just to have the right co-authors but mainly having very good arguments, cover previous research well and ensure that it is out early in an emerging field. That way it will get cited and used. In fact, one strong reason to write this paper now is that if you don't do it, somebody else (and perhaps much worse) will do it.
Eliezer is arguing about one view of the Singularity, though there are others. This is one reason I thought to include http://yudkowsky.net/singularity/schools on the wiki. If leaders/proponents of the other two schools could acknowledge this model Eliezer has described of there being three schools of the Singularity, I think that might lend it more authority as you are describing.
Actually, I might prefer not to use the term 'Singularity' at all, precisely because it has picked up so many different meanings. If a name is needed for the event we're describing and we can't avoid that, use 'intelligence explosion'.
Seconded. One of the many modern connotations of 'Singularity' is 'Geek Apocalypse'.
Which is happening, like, a good couple of years afterwards.
Intelligence explosion does away with that, and seems to nail the concept much better anyway.
In what contexts is the action you mention worth performing? Why are "critics" a relevant concern? In my perception, normal technical science doesn't progress by criticism, it works by improving on some of existing work and forgetting the rest. New developments allow to see some old publications as uninteresting or wrong.
"In what contexts is the action you mention worth performing?"
If the paper was endorsed by the top minds who support the singularity. Ideally if it was written by them. So for example Ray Kurzweil whether you agree with him or not he is a big voice for the singularity.
"Why are "critics" a relevant concern?"
Because technical science moves forward through peer-review and the proving and the disproving of hypotheses. The critics help prevent the circle jerk phenomena in science assuming they are well thought out critiques. Because outside review can sometimes see fatal flaws in ideas that are not necessarily caught by those who work in the field.
"In my perception, normal technical science doesn't progress by criticism, it works by improving on some of existing work and forgetting the rest. New developments allow to see some old publications as uninteresting or wrong."
Have you ever published in a peer-review journal? If not the last portion of your post I will ignore, if so perhaps your could expound on it a bit more.
The actual experience of publishing a paper hardly adds anything that can't be understood without doing so. Peer-review is not about "critics" responding to endorsement by well-known figures, it's quality control (with whatever failing it may carry), and not a point where written-up public criticisms originate. Science builds on what's published, not on what gets rejected by peer review, and what's published can be read by all.
FWIW, in my experience the useful criticisms happen at conferences or in private conversation, not during the peer review process.
It is rarely the case that experience adds hardly anything. What are your priors and posteriors here? How did you update?
This is the main reasons Eliezer gives as to why he does not bother to create such a proposal. If this does apply to Eliezer as well would a suggestion that he should write such a paper serve any other purpose than one-upmanship?