Singularity

            Lev Grossman explores the idea of singularity in his article in Times Magazine, “2045:The Year Man Becomes Immortal.” With the mergence of technology and humans, mankind as we know it would no longer exist. Advancements in technology, as both Grossman and Huxley in “Brave New World” explain, might soon grow so large that technology might soon take over and reign supreme.

Grossman  explores how technology can change the face of mankind when he discusses the young Kurzweil’s technological achievement. Kurzweil invented a computer that could compose music such as a human could. This invention brought attention to the fact that in the future computers might be able to take over tasks we consider to be the jobs of “humans.” Now, decades after his invention was first aired on the television program “I’ve Got A Secret,” Kurzweil believes that the moment humans and computers merge “is not only inevitable, but immenient” and believes that an immortal being can come into existence as early as 2035 (Grossman).

            I find the idea of technology surpassing human intelligence to be a scary, science fiction notion. However, at the rapid rate technology is advancing, this theory seems plausible. As Grossman explains “Computers are getting faster, faster.” Therefore, with computers constantly becoming more knowledgeable, they are catching up to the intelligence of humans. However, if technology was to exceed human intelligence in the future and humans and computers were to merge into one being, we would lose what makes us human. We would no longer be unique, each person would be the same as the next. As Bernard in “Brave New World” feels, we would no longer be different from each other, we would all just be replicates. In the novel, Bernard has the fear that humans and technology have become too closely linked and longs for a more “authentic” existence. When Bernard and Lenina are talking about the sea and Bernard explains that he likes it [the sea], because the makes it him feel like he’s “Not just a cell in a social body” (Huxley 90). When Bernard longs for an “authenitic” existence I believe he is referring to the ability to be different from everyone else. The way technology is used in the novel de-emphasizes the individual. Instead, each person is manufactured to their own specific niche and is just part of a greater system. The ability to be unique is a big part of what makes each person an individual and if we lose that, we lose part of our humanity.

         “Brave New World” shows an idea of what might be life if man were to merge with machine as Grossman discusses in his article. With this in mind, I do not think technology merging with humans would be beneficial to human existence.