On environmental issues, I automatically assume that molecular manufacturing doesn't come along to save our collective rears. I try to focus as much as possible on solutions (both social and technical) that we have right now.

I loose patience with some of the thinking that surrounds Vinge's singularity concept. Some of It promotes a kind of apathy. Some people think that magical technology will save the world without their having to lift a finger in the present day. They think somehow everything will magically sort itself out. Balderdash.

This is one of the reasons I put myself in the tech-progressive wing of transhumanism rather than the Extropian/Libertarian wing. A lot of hard, gritty, boring work has to be done right now, in the real world, with present day technology and policy, to bring about a better world tomorrow.

I think you hit the nail on the head, Mr Farlops.

While I would sincerely love to see the sort of technological utopia posited by Vinge, it's important to realise that it might not happen anytime soon, if ever. Even if it is feasible, there are all sorts of things that can derail progress... war, politics, apathy... Even a small delay can mean the difference between a post-human singularity and the collapse of civilisation or the extinction of humanity.

Think of it this way, I could smoke, eat a hundred eggs fried in bacon fat, and drink like a thirsty fish every day, hoping that the medical cure for cancer, heart, liver, and kidney disease will save me from those diseases. Or I can improve my diet and lifestyle to give the researchers more time to find those cures. The same applies to our environment. Do we continue to damage it, hoping we will find a solution before we get to the point of no-return. Or do we change our ways in order to give the environment and ourselves more time to find solutions.

I think the other thing we have to be aware of, is that there is nothing without cost. Even if we do progress to an extremely advanced state, there will always be problems associated with the new technology that is developed. If we can solve our existing problems now, that will leave less to worry about in the future. The future will have enough to worry about.

Cybert, the point is you might not become a post-singularity being before the consequences of abusing the Earth start to affect you.

I honestly don't understand the "waiting for the Singularity" mentality.  Unless the person claiming to be waiting is also actively working on some technology that they think will usher in a new era of rapid technological advance, I see little distinction between the Singularitarian thinking and various forms of religious faith.  I see no issue with rational optimism (I'm rationally optimistic myself) but I do have a big problem with passivity.

I realize that some subscribers to Singularitarian notions are indeed working hard to advance certain areas of technology, but I think that perhaps these folks need to do a better job of highlighting their actions, lest they promote an impression that discourages effort.  It's the same situation with the specific area of life extension -- there are quite a few things (financial, research-related, scientific) that practically anyone can do to help hasten the development of safe and effective life-extending medicine, but there are some people who think it's just "going to happen".

As far as the environment goes, I have definitely become much more environmentally aware of such things as waste, energy usage, and recycling since realizing I was some flavor of transhumanist.  Being alive is a responsibility as well as a wonderful fact of chance, and I honestly don't see a positive future unless people take care to consider the consequences of their actions and clean up after themselves.  This in no way implies "deep ecology" or "nature worship" -- but rather, a practical realization that one cannot just depend on being "saved" by future technologies.  Things like clean air and drinking water ARE a big deal.

Another thing to consider here is serendipity. Breakthroughs in one area of research can unexpected application other areas of research.

So how can we say for certain that donating money through your electric bill for green power production has nothing to do with longevity research? There might be some materials science advance in solar cells that has some unexpected advantage in, say, DNA reading or cell membrane communications? Never say never. Science is weird that way.

Cybert, please stop waiting for "The Great Santa Claus Machine in the Sky"* and try to be at least marginaly useful.

*a fictional post-singularity entity