A Civil Religious Debate

For a myth to be universal, it must be proven false and every human must believe it to be a myth. You might call any dead religion (meaning one with no current followers and one in which the inventor was known to falsify everything) a universal myth. As for a specific example, I am uncertain.

The Singularity is not a conspiracy theory. It is not a cult. It is not a religion. It is a speculation that, since, our computers and technology are exponentially getting smarter, they will eventually be smarter then us, and therefore they will be able to learn things that we cannot. If they can learn things we can't, what could those things be? The meaning of life? The cure for all disease? Who the hell knows. I don't. That doesn't change the fact that our technology gets better and better every day. Only an apolocalypse is going to stop that advancement.

I'm not saying God is going to appear before us, I'm saying that our computers will one day be smarter then every single last human on the planet combined. What happens after that is unknown. But since I have faith in the greater good, I'm hoping that only good will come out of it.

I agree with most of your argument here, except for the appeal to "The Singularity." Man and technology have always been intertwined. As soon as new technology is created, we are finding many different ways to use it. Our technology and us will most likely not have different evolutionary paths. We are destined for further co-existence.

Being a physics major and an optimist, I can say that religion could be eliminated. Religion entails a belief in a supernatural power that is often worshiped. Those concepts are fairly primitive, yes. I can agree that with rapid scientific advancements the religious community will greatly decrease, but not be eliminated. I think once physics finds the answers to the origin of the Universe's existence religion will begin its final phase on the path to extinction.

I have always found hope of going to an afterlife much like feelings towards drugs. They are often used towards an escape of everyday life. I think that most people that believe in an afterlife simply aren't satisfied with their current existence. Being a very strong Carl Sagan supporter, I think that our only existence as individuals is in nature, and when we die we become part of nature once again. I find that to be the most poetic and intellectually stimulating viewpoint out there.