What book would serve as a good counterargument to "The Singularity is Near"?

Question

I recently read Ray Kurzweil's new book on his glorious vision of things to come, but I would like to see the other viewpoints on issues pertaining to the future of information technology. Is there any work which is as pessimistic as "The Singularity is Near" is optimistic?

Answer 1

"Hurtling to Oblivion," Richard A. Swenson, M.D., and

"The Soulless One," Mark Prophet, are worthwhile.

It is notable that all prior predictions of glorious futurities have been erroneous.  Hence, Swenson's argument, that more technical empowering simply increases the dangers of misapplication, seems more logical, even assuming supposedly "perfect" transhuman overlords.

Answer 2

Hmmm, personally I lean towards Kurzweil's views myself, though I'm not as optimistic regarding the timescales.  However for a somewhat more pessimistic view, check out "Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution" by Francis Fukuyama.  I think Fukuyama is a bit too pessimistic, and underestimates the human capabilities for problem-solving and adaptation.  But, that's just me.

The IEEE did a special issue on the singularity not long ago, including some pointed criticism of the concept.  For some additional points of view on the singularity, check out their articles.

Finally just for fun, the 3rd link below is to a YouTube Singularitarian video--pretty entertaining.  :-)