IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zna/indecs/v16y2018i1p92-109.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The 'Crisis of Noosphere' as a Limiting Factor to Achieve the Point of Technological Singularity

Author

Listed:
  • Rafael Lahoz-Beltra

    (Complutense University of Madrid, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

One of the most significant developments in the history of human being is the invention of a way of keeping records of human knowledge, thoughts and ideas. In 1926, the work of several thinkers such as Edouard Le Roy, Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin led to the concept of noosphere, the idea that human cognition and knowledge transforms the biosphere into something like a thinking layer of the planet. At present, it is commonly accepted by some thinkers that the Internet is the medium that will give life to noosphere. According to Vinge and Kurzweil's technological singularity hypothesis, noosphere would in a future be the natural environment in which a 'human machine superintelligence' would emerge to reach the point of technological singularity. In this article we show by means of numerical models that it is impossible for our civilization to reach the point of technological singularity in a near future. We propose that this point could be reached only if Internet data centers were based on "computer machines" that are more effective in terms of hardware and power consumption than the current ones. Finally, we speculate about 'Nooscomputers' or N computers, as hypothetical machines oriented not only to the management of information, but also knowledge, and much more efficient in terms of electricity consumption than current computers. Possibly a civilization based on N-computers would allow us to successfully reach the point of technological singularity.

Suggested Citation

  • Rafael Lahoz-Beltra, 2018. "The 'Crisis of Noosphere' as a Limiting Factor to Achieve the Point of Technological Singularity," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 16(1), pages 92-109.
  • Handle: RePEc:zna:indecs:v:16:y:2018:i:1:p:92-109
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://indecs.eu/2018/indecs2018-pp92-109.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Timothy Garrett, 2011. "Are there basic physical constraints on future anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 104(3), pages 437-455, February.
    2. David H. Good & Rafael Reuveny, 2009. "On the Collapse of Historical Civilizations," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 863-879.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Manal Ayyad Dhif Alshammry & Saqib Muneer, 2023. "The influence of economic development, capital formation, and internet use on environmental degradation in Saudi Arabia," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Timothy J. Garrett & Matheus R. Grasselli & Stephen Keen, 2020. "Past production constrains current energy demands: persistent scaling in global energy consumption and implications for climate change mitigation," Papers 2006.03718, arXiv.org.
    3. Herrmann-Pillath, Carsten, 2018. "The Case for a New Discipline: Technosphere Science," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 212-225.
    4. Timothy J. Garrett, 2013. "Thermodynamics of long-run economic innovation and growth," Papers 1306.3554, arXiv.org.
    5. John J. Kineman & Krupanidhi Srirama & Jennifer Wilby & Bruce T. Milne, 2017. "Elements of a Holistic Theory to Meet the Sustainability Challenge," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(5), pages 553-563, September.
    6. Timothy J Garrett & Matheus Grasselli & Stephen Keen, 2020. "Past world economic production constrains current energy demands: Persistent scaling with implications for economic growth and climate change mitigation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, August.
    7. Pietro Peretto & Simone Valente, 2015. "Growth on a finite planet: resources, technology and population in the long run," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 305-331, September.
    8. YoungSeok Hwang & Jung-Sup Um & Stephan Schlüter, 2020. "Evaluating the Mutual Relationship between IPAT/Kaya Identity Index and ODIAC-Based GOSAT Fossil-Fuel CO 2 Flux: Potential and Constraints in Utilizing Decomposed Variables," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-18, August.
    9. Timothy J. Garrett, 2016. "Long-run evolution of the global economy - Part 2: Hindcasts of innovation and growth," Papers 1601.00233, arXiv.org.
    10. Jarvis, Andrew, 2018. "Energy Returns and The Long-run Growth of Global Industrial Society," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 722-729.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    noosphere; technological singularity; omega point; energy consumption; Malthusian growth model; S-curve; N-computer;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zna:indecs:v:16:y:2018:i:1:p:92-109. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Josip Stepanic (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.