Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c899IR // #c899Synthesis

Takeoff speed is set by two forces: optimization power (how much effort goes into improving the system) and recalcitrance (how hard the system is to improve). When a superintelligence turns its own optimization power on itself, recalcitrance can collapse - and the curve goes vertical.

— In our words · Source: Superintelligence (Nick Bostrom)

[Use when]

Debating whether superintelligence arrives gradually or all at once.

[Why it matters]

Gives you the actual dials behind fast vs slow takeoff instead of vibes. Hardware overhang, for example, is recalcitrance dropping suddenly.

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