2019/03/01 by Mahendra Prasad · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Philosophy and History of Science #Condorcet method #Value (mathematics) #Humanity #Epistemology #Philosophy #Computer science #Political science #Law #Machine learning
paper · pdf · doi:10.1609/aimag.v40i1.2855
openalex publication_date 2019/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
The intelligence explosion hypothesis (for example, a technological singularity) is roughly the hypothesis that accelerating knowledge and technological growth radically changes humanity. While 20th‐century figures are commonly credited as the first discoverers of the hypothesis, I assert that Nicolas de Condorcet, the 18th‐century mathematician, is the earliest to (1) mathematically model an intelligence explosion, and (2) present an accelerating historical worldview, and (3) make intelligence explosion predictions that were restated centuries later. Condorcet provides insights on how ontology and social choice can help resolve value alignment.