[extropy-chat] Transhumanism: Teilhard de Chardin - Truth or Dare

[Natasha Vita-More]

At 02:07 PM 11/1/03 -0700, Samantha wrote:

>Natasha wrote:
>"Most transhumanists are spirited toward life and learning, but leave the
>soul on the bottom of our shoes.  Indeed a sense of compassion and
>understand is often veiled by a strong desire to push forward out of
>humanity's womb, but it is deeply rooted in transhumanism nonetheless.  It
>this enough in itself, or do we need to leave an open place for religious
>views, or are they really a throw back to ingrained defaults?
>
>I don't think we need it.  I think we need more love and understanding,
>story-telling, poetry, imagination, laughter, fun and companionship, not
>not religious mysticism?


>I think we do need some things often seen in the best of relgion and
>mysticism.   We need a unified, uplifting and compelling vision and a deep
>ethics/morality in the way we deal with one another and acheive that vision.
>To date I have not seen anything along these lines as unitive or compelling
>as the best religion/mysticism has to offer.   It would surprise me if
>religious/mystical memes were entirely absent from such a unitive Vision.  I
>don't think the memes will be sufficiently viable without such.

It might help to go back and read my original post on this thread, 
Samantha.  The issue was Teilhard's mixture of science and theology and my 
covering his work in my writings about the history of transhumanism and why 
I think I made a mistake.  It am not discounting Teilhard's visionary 
ideas, or the Omega Point, but the fact that when all is put to rest - 
Teilhard was not on the an appropriate track toward transhumanism.

I'm a very "spiritual" person.  It is the center of my core.  As an artist 
and poetic, my own spirituality has given me a vision to live with the 
Navajo Indians, travel through the Amazon Jungle, study Yoga intensively 
for 3.5 years, climb inside a volcano, live in the mountains for 10 years, 
etc.  BUT it is not based on religion or any one church or doctrine.  It is 
the spirit of life and adventure inside my mind that propels me forward, 
and was the catalyst for my art.

All this is my spirit - nurtured and nursed by the side of me that is the 
provider and pragmatist.  The poet in me lives each and every day, 
regardless of what job I have and regardless of what ways I have to 
function in the "real" world in order to survive.

I don't need mysticism and a false illusion.  I need poetry and the wonder 
of the universe around me and Carl Sagon's book, _Science as a Candle in 
the Dark - The Demon Haunted World_.

Natasha


>- samantha
>
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