Philosophies & Movements
Singularitarianism
The belief that a technological singularity — usually imagined as AI becoming more capable than people and then improving itself — is likely, and that people should act now to shape it. The activist version says bringing about a beneficial singularity is a moral project, not merely a forecast. Critics argue that the forecast rests on unsupported assumptions about growth and intelligence, and that distant speculation can pull attention from harms that can already be measured.
Origin · no single documented coiner
Extropian writer Mark Plus (Mark Potts) is credited with defining "Singularitarian" in 1991 as someone who believes in the Singularity, but the original 1991 text is difficult to verify. Eliezer Yudkowsky gave it a more specific activist meaning in "The Singularitarian Principles" (2000); Ray Kurzweil later popularized it in his 2005 book "The Singularity Is Near." The idea of a technological singularity predates the movement and is closely associated with Vernor Vinge.