Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

23 used & new from �8.45

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

See larger image

Share your own customer images

Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Singularity is Near (Paperback)

by Raymond Kurzweil (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

RRP:	�14.99
Price:	�11.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�3.50 (23%)

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

17 new from �8.46 6 used from �8.45

Frequently Bought Together

Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine

Price For All Three: �37.17

Show availability and shipping details

This item: The Singularity is Near by Raymond Kurzweil
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine by J. Storrs Hall
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

On Intelligence

by Jeff Hawkins

4.8 out of 5 stars (6) �9.75

Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever

by Raymond Kurzweil

4.5 out of 5 stars (4)

Are We Spiritual Machines?: Ray Kurzweil Vs. the Critics of Strong AI

by Ray Kurzweil

4.0 out of 5 stars (1) �9.11

Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine

by J. Storrs Hall

5.0 out of 5 stars (2) �15.93

Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos

by Michio Kaku

4.7 out of 5 stars (13) �7.99

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 683 pages
Publisher: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd (9 Mar 2006)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0715635611
ISBN-13: 978-0715635612
Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 x 4.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,340 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#2 in	Books > Computing & Internet > Computer Science > Algorithms > Artificial Intelligence
#2 in	Books > Science & Nature > Popular Science > Artificial Intelligence
#4 in	Books > Computing & Internet > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

(What is this?)

WLR3 Innovation Expertise

www.vangent.co.uk 300+ CP's and 3 Million+ WLR2 Lines Now live with WLR3 call for demo

Viroxyn Stops Cold sores

viroxyn.com New Unique single dose treatment Heals Herpes Cold Sore Virus Fast

Personal, Home & Car Loan

www.google.com/loans Get a Loan for all you needs Including Business. Find out how.

Product Description

Review
"'Ray Kurzweil is the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence. His intriguing new book envisions a future in which information technologies have advanced so far and fast that they enable humanity to transcend its biological limitations - transforming our lives in ways we can't yet imagine' Bill Gates"

Product Description
Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil examines the next step in the evolutionary process of the union of human and machine. Kurzweil foresees the dawning of a new civilization where we will be able to transcend our biological limitations and amplify our creativity, combining our biological skills with the vastly greater capacity, speed and knowledge-sharing abilities of our creations. In practical terms, human ageing and illness will be reversed; pollution will be stopped and world hunger and poverty will be solved. There will be no clear distinction between human and machine, real reality and virtual reality. "The Singularity is Near" offers a view of the coming age that is both a dramatic culmination of centuries of technological ingenuity and a genuinely inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny.

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

artificial intelligence(2)

computing(2)

futurism(2)

history of technology(2)

cognition(1)

See all 7 tags...

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	92% buy the item featured on this page: The Singularity is Near 4.5 out of 5 stars (6) �11.49
	4% buy On Intelligence 4.8 out of 5 stars (6) �9.75
	2% buy Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
	1% buy Bad Science 4.6 out of 5 stars (138) �4.85

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Contains some wonderful ideas., 30 April 2008

By	Luke A. G. Palmer "Azraphon" (Norfolk, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those of you who don't know, Ray Kurzweil is the man who invented Optical Character Recognition, along with various other pattern-recognition technologies. He is well-versed in what technology is theoretically capable of, and has spent his professional life trying to make it do these things.

I have nothing but good things to say about Ray Kurzweil, and this book in particular. The ideas that he puts forward may seem very optimistic, sometimes verging on techno-fanaticism, but nothing he is saying is negative. If he's right, the human race only has to survive until the 2040s and things will markedly improve.

However excellent I found the technological predictions made in this book, there are two points that brought it down to four stars. First, and a matter I admit is one of personal preference, there were far too many graphs to do with economy and business. This is an American book, so capitalism has to figure somewhere, and he is forgiven. The other point is that some of the speculations he is making are sociological ones and these are far more spurious than any technological speculations. However, they are not fundamental to what he is arguing.

All in all, an excellent, if at times overwhelming, read. I heartily recommend it as an introduction to transhumanism and futurism.

Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Thought-provoking., 18 May 2008

By	Trip (London, UK) - See all my reviews

A very well presented, and extremely well researched effort. Everyone should read this. One star deducted jointly for the shameless (and frequent) promotion of the author's other works, and the sometimes unnecessarily long-winded passages in the book - its still very well done, but this is my own opinion.

I strongly recommend this book, very hard to put down.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revelatory, 21 Mar 2008

By	Huxley V. Hobbes "Singularitarian" (The Universe!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered this book a couple of years ago. There was a sale at Waterstone's, and I had all but one of the books needed to take advantage of said sale. This took my interest, so I got a hold of it, and thank goodness I did.

I can honestly say that this is the most important non-fiction book I have ever read, and quite possibly one of the most important books period. Whilst I have always sensed something important might be taking place regarding technology, and I have always had a deep love of science and technology, Kurzweil highlights and articulates some incredible and illustrative concepts. I don't agree with everything he says, but the fundaments of the book seem entirely solid. Sometimes this terrifies me, but Kurzweil offers a great deal of hope as well.

Whether you embrace or reject the implications, however, Kurzweil's book makes an extremely imposing case that I have yet to see refuted. Reading it will prepare you for the future, whether that future looks glorious or horrifying to you.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 6 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable book to read
Singularity is near is a book that tries to predict future technological developments.Ray Kurzweil is very optimistic about the future. Read more

Published 2 months ago by J. Dimitrijevic

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarier than Stephen King
If Kurzweil is wrong in his predictions and there is no technical revolution just around the corner, the worst that that can be said is that he has written an incredibly... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Robert Macmillan

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book
My heart sank when I got this book. An American book on science that had that many pages must be written by someone who got paid by how many times they were able to repeat... Read more

Published 17 months ago by C. E. Carter

› See all 6 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Listmania!

Books read in 2009: A list by Tim Woods
Take a load off, put a load on ...: A list by Chris Wood "Sherlock Holmes and the Underpants of Death"
Samuel Johnson BBC Prize for Non-Fiction 2009: A list by J. Holden "johnlholden"

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > Computing & Internet > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence
Books > Computing & Internet > Digital Lifestyle > Online Shopping > Amazon
Books > Computing & Internet > Programming > Algorithms > Artificial Intelligence
Books > Science & Nature > Popular Science > Artificial Intelligence

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

Fun for Everyone

Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream

From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System

For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

›Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

Where's My Stuff?

track your recent orders
view or change your orders in Your Account

Delivery and Returns

see our delivery rates and policies
thinking of returning an item? (See our Returns Policy)

Need Help?

Forgot your password?
Buy Gift Certificates.
still have questions? Visit our Help Pages

Your Recent History

(What's this?)

You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.1 out of 5 stars (453)�6.49

New Moon (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.2 out of 5 stars (216)�3.49

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

4.1 out of 5 stars (157)�3.99

Eclipse (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

4.4 out of 5 stars (208)�3.84


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon