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“Staring into the Singularity” (1996-11-18) contests Y10. Answering the question 'Why not assume that we'll get a little smarter and that's it?', he argues that once the researchers are themselves computers, each doubling shortens the next, so the doubling sequence becomes hyperbolic. Copy claim link
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Machine-checked, not reviewed by an editor Stated in source Supported
Supporting evidence: primary · 1 source
Date 1996-11-18 · publication Wording attested 2000-12-04. The quoted wording is that of version 1.2.1 ("Updated: 08/31/2000") as captured on 2000-12-04; no capture of the 1996–1999 page holds the text. Role Contesting Register (kind of text) Nonfiction Engagement States the contrary. Under the message-level rule, the passage states the contrary conclusion without giving a reason against the premise that returns to reinvesting cognitive gains in further cognitive improvement diminish, even when read with its message or dialogue turn. Scope and limits Premise addressed: Returns to reinvesting cognitive gains in further cognitive improvement diminish. Staring into the Singularity 1.2.1, Wayback capture of 2000-12-04; page states 'Created: 11/18/1996' and 'Updated: 08/31/2000'. Wording verified only for the 2000 capture, not for the 1996 original.
The evidence 01 primary source Supports the claim
Staring into the Singularity (version 1.2.1) ↗ Eliezer S. Yudkowsky · 1996-11-18
Archived copy, captured 2000-12-04: Staring into the Singularity (version 1.2.1) ↗
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Source excerpt “Computer speeds don't double due to some inexorable physical law, but because researchers and engineers find ways to make faster chips. If some of the researchers and engineers are themselves computers...” Location in source §2 'The Beyondness of the Singularity', paragraph beginning 'That doubling sequence is actually a pessimistic projection'
Machine-checked · 2026-10-06
Source details and check notes Authors Eliezer S. Yudkowsky Version Version 1.2.1, "Updated: 08/31/2000", in the raw Internet Archive capture of 2000-12-04; retrieved 2026-10-06 with the hash recorded by the 1996–2022 candidate search. Personal website, sysopmind.com. Version date 2000-08-31 Canonical address Open the canonical source ↗ Accessed 2026-10-06 Language English (en) Archive copy Open archived copy, captured 2000-12-04: Staring into the Singularity (version 1.2.1) ↗ . Captured 95 days after the recorded version date. An archive copy shows only what the archive retrieved on 2000-12-04. It does not prove what the page said earlier, and it can differ from the copy checked on 2026-10-06.Attribution Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, "Staring into the Singularity", version 1.2.1 (2000). Reuse No open redistribution licence asserted. Bibliographic metadata, editorial paraphrases and short attributed quotations (at most 50 words each). Recheck terms before wider redistribution. Check notes Candidate pack passage T10-a. The quotation (31 words) matched the retrieved expression (SHA-256 a883c7d611f7d6f5d3b64d6901e2086d4b33b3df9621927da6d70789a7302316) when checked on 2026-10-06. Status and meaning Editorial status. Not reviewed by an editor . An exploratory record that no editor has accepted. This status does not say whether a person has read any linked passage. Each evidence record above shows how it was checked.
Relation. A passage of the document disputes the proposition or a premise it depends on. The record documents the text’s position, not who is right.
Date. The page states "Created: 11/18/1996"; the essay was announced on the Extropians list on 1996-11-19. As for the human-thought collection's records of this essay.
Record ID yk-y10-staring-into-the-singularity-c