published on April 17, 2023

The philosopher Barry Smith interviews the physician, mathematician, and entrepreneur Jobst Landgrebe.

According to Landgrebe, the belief in the singularity is akin to a religion, but he dismisses it as a neopagan, pseudo-religious concept. Unlike the most advanced religions we know, this neopagan pseudo-religion no longer deals with the transcendent, but rather the imminent. In pagan religions, deities are materialized in totems or natural phenomena such as waters, trees, and stones, and similarly, the transcendent object in the singularity is placed into the material world. However, unlike real religions, the singularity lacks the promise of salvation, and instead conveys a sense of fear without the positive aspects of true religions. Moreover, unlike religions, the idea of singularity fails to articulate positive social norms.