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Adele_L comments on Open thread, September 2-8, 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion

0 Post author: David_Gerard 02 September 2013 02:07PM

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Comment author: Gunnar_Zarncke 02 September 2013 10:03:17PM 1 point [-]

Just had a discussion with my in-law about the singularity. He's a physicist and his immediate response was: There are no singularities. They appear mathematically all the time and it only means that there is another effect taking over. Correspondingly a quick google thus brought up this:

http://www.askamathematician.com/2012/09/q-what-are-singularities-do-they-exist-in-nature/

So my question is: What are the 'obvious' candidates for limits that take over before the all optimizable is optimized by runaway technology?

Comment author: Adele_L 03 September 2013 12:22:05AM 14 points [-]

On LW, 'singularity' does not refer to a mathematical singularity, and does not involve or require physical infinities of any kind. See Yudkowsky's post on the three major meanings of the term singularity. This may resolve your physicist friend's disagreement. In any case, it is good to be clear about what exactly is meant.