Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Singularity Is Near summary
Ray Kurzweil
When Humans Transcend Biology
4.4 (151 ratings)
24 mins
10 key ideas
Audio & text
What is The Singularity Is Near about?
The Singularity Is Near (2005) shows how evolution is drawing ever closer to a dramatic new phase, in that by 2029, computers will be smarter than humans, and not just in terms of logic and math. This event will not only profoundly change how we live but also pose serious questions about humanity’s future.
About the Author
Ray Kurzweil is an inventor, entrepreneur and a director of engineering at Google. In addition to inventing the charge-coupled device (CCD) flatbed scanner, Kurzweil has written a number of books and scripts addressing the integrated future of humans and technology. He was awarded the US National Medal of Technology in 1999 and, over the years, has received 20 honorary doctorates as well as honors from three US presidents.
Table of Contents
The Singularity Is Near
summarized in 10 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 10
Evolution is picking up speed. Each development builds and moves faster ahead than the last.
Think about how many major technological changes your grandparents may have witnessed during their lifetimes. Now, think about the changes you’ve seen over just the last 15 years.
Stunning how far technology has advanced in such a short period of time, right?
It’s evident that, as time passes, things are changing more rapidly. History tells us that the rate of change has been growing exponentially.
Roughly 3.8 billion years ago, single-celled life on earth evolved slowly. It took some 2 billion years for multicellular organisms to emerge.
Yet gradually, the process of evolution gained momentum. For example, there were only 200 million years between the first mammals and the evolution of Homo sapiens.
If you were to draw a graph showing major evolutionary development on earth, you’d see that evolution does indeed move faster with the passing of time. The same can be said for the rate of technological evolution.
Technological development is also accelerating. Some 50,000 years ago, discoveries such as making fire were few and far between, occuring every 1,000 years or so. Compare this rate with today, where it’s a challenge to list the gadgets and revelations of just last year.
Importantly, the returns of this accelerating process of evolution are also accelerating.
For instance, computer speed in cost per unit doubled every three years between 1910 and 1950, then every two years between 1950 and 1966; today, it’s doubling each year.
This exponential development in technology is known as the “Law of Accelerating Returns.”
We know that the greatest triumphs in each stage of development help to form the next. For example, biological evolution resulted in Homo sapiens; humans then invented technology, and the best technologies are used to develop even better technologies.
It follows then that eventually, supersmart computers will be able to design superior technologies themselves and in doing so, further speed up technological evolution.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Singularity Is Near?
Key ideas in The Singularity Is Near
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Best quote from The Singularity Is Near
The future aint what it used to be. – Yogi Berra
—Ray Kurzweil
Who should read The Singularity Is Near
- People curious about the intersection of people and technology
- Programmers, inventors or anyone fascinated by artificial intelligence
- Science fiction fans
Categories with The Singularity Is Near
Books like The Singularity Is Near
What our members say
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Start growing with Blinkist now
25 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers