[extropy-chat] Luddite Leadership: The New Atlantis

[Brett Paatsch]

Greg Burch wrote:

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Brett Paatsch
> > Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2003 8:48 PM
> > Greg writes:
> > 
> > > All extropians should be aware of a new journal called 
> > > "The New Atlantis."
> > > 
> > > http://www.thenewatlantis.com/index.html
> > > 
> > [snip]
> > 
> > > "The New Atlantis" has clearly been 
> > > formed as a rallying point for the anti-progress party,
> > 
> > Which anti-progress party Greg? Do you mean an *actual*
> > political party or do you mean an aggregation of entrenched 
> > empowered [monied] individuals who want to broker the rate
> > of change toward the future so they can control and own the 
> > technology and the IP as it emerges or what in fact do you
> > mean?
> 
> I was using a rather old-fashioned way of writing, I guess, 
> because I meant neither of the things you suggest.  As to the
> former, in the U.S. the Republican's have probably signed 
> on to the bioluddite agenda more than the Democrats, while 
> the Democrats have a nascent tendency toward a Euro
> "greenish" anitpathy to non-human biotech.  
>
> [snip comment on Europe] 
>
> The second alternative you suggest isn't really concrete yet in
> any way -- there's nothing like saleable IP for real human 
> augmentation, 

No but, what about in say the GMO, GE and stem cell areas?

What do you think of the possibility of brokering-the-future in
these areas using bi-lateral trade agreements? 

> and the folks who make business policy in the
> BigPharma companies are notoriously short-sighted; I doubt
> human augmentation is really on their radar screens yet, so 
> they don't have a position.

I agree on BigPharma and human augmentation.
 
> No, I'm referring to the cultural opponents of the transumanist
> agenda, the same note I've been sounding for some time:
> 
> http://www.gregburch.net/progress.html

Thanks Greg. 

Perhaps without having read the New Atlantis but having read
some of Kass' writings on the Presidents Council of Bioethics,
my feeling is maybe - lots more rope to Kass - let him and those
like him help raise the level of public awareness - a bit of Hegelian
dialectic may be good for transhumanism if it gives the media some
theatre around which to report-  and once folks realise what is on
offer (ie. when the technological feasibility is less in dispute) then the
citizen voters of the west will start joining the dots for themselves.
Right now I'm more concerned that the citizen-voters haven't got a
clue what is on offer and so they vote against or to ban what they 
don't understand which is nearly everything. The best thing for 
the transhumanism memeset to get reported and to straighten itself
out may be a worthy adversary. 

This is not necessarily a deeply considered opinion (on Kass and
New Atlantis anyway).

Regards,
Brett