[extropy-chat] Re: [wta-talk] Group Hug

[Max More]

The next issue of NeoFiles will publish an interview with me. This includes 
my most recent and extensive clarification of the relationship between the 
Principles of Extropy and compatible political views. As soon as it's 
published, I'll provide a pointer here.

In the meantime, there's a pretty good explanation in ExI's FAQ. I 
recommend consulting official sources like this before anyone makes claims 
based on their idiosyncratic perceptions. Here's the section:

http://www.extropy.org/faq.htm#5.1



5.1 Do transhumanists in general, and friends of Extropy Institute in 
particular, share economic and political views?

Do extropian transhumanists have political or economic views in 
common?  Individuals will choose whether or not they feel comfortable 
describing themselves as extropian transhumanists depending on whether they 
share the values and attitudes expressed by The Principles of Extropy. 
Those principles do not proclaim any specific, detailed political or 
economic doctrine. The two principles most relevant here are "Open Society" 
and "Self-Direction". For the full version of each see The Principles of 
Extropy 3.1. In brief, these state:

OPEN SOCIETY: Supporting social orders that foster freedom of speech, 
freedom of action, and experimentation. Opposing authoritarian social 
control and favoring the rule of law and decentralization of power. 
Preferring bargaining over battling, and exchange over compulsion. Openness 
to improvement rather than a static utopia.

SELF-DIRECTION: Seeking independent thinking, individual freedom, personal 
responsibility, self-direction, self-esteem, and respect for others.

Clearly some political views will be incompatible with extropian thinking. 
That is one way in which the philosophy of extropy may differ from other 
forms of transhumanism. For instance, technocratic transhumanists may favor 
setting up an elite group to determine which genetic modifications are 
allowed or which are compulsory for the general population. Socialist 
transhumanists would want to centralize control over all economic activity 
in order to shape the future. It's worth noting that socialist 
transhumanists sometimes characterize themselves as "democratic 
transhumanists" but use the term "democracy" to refer to the socialist goal 
of using government power to compel everyone to fit into their notion of 
"equality". Democracy, in the more generally accepted sense, is one 
important way of implementing the principle of Open Society.

Extropian transhumanists generally favor market mechanisms over centralized 
government control, seeing this as the way to protect self-direction and 
open society. But the boundaries between market and government, especially 
when it comes to determining the legal rules according to which the market 
functions, are not always clear. Some extropian transhumanists, for 
example, favor the idea of private communities in which something that 
looks much like a government exists (but with universal consent of initial 
entrants). In addition, the distinction between government regulation 
(interference) and the clarification of the property rights underlying 
markets may not always be sharp.

While all extropian transhumanists generally prefer voluntary market 
approaches to economic issues, we may differ among ourselves about the 
extent of the proper role of government. Some may favor government subsidy 
of basic scientific research, or certain regulations they believe necessary 
to maintaining a maximally open society, or the provision of services they 
think will be poorly provided without state intervention. Others may favor 
a minimal government that does little or nothing other than maintain the 
legal order of the marketplace. And some would like to experiment with 
entirely novel social orders using "polycentric law", which turns 
law-making itself into a market function.

The fit between the philosophy of extropy and political views therefore is 
loose, but not infinitely so. Given commitments to Open Society and 
Self-Direction, there cannot be Stalinist or socialist or fascist or 
theocratic extropian transhumanists. Any other political positions that, 
upon reflection, fit with the goals of fostering open social orders, 
advancing technological progress, and personal responsibility is compatible 
with the philosophy of extropy. Which social orders and economic rules best 
further shared extropic values is a matter for ongoing consideration.

In the end, a crucial point is that extropian transhumanists are 
individualists, and so see political and economic institutions as means to 
the progress of (trans)humanity. Dogmatic adherence to any specific 
political doctrine in the face of developing thought is therefore 
inappropriate. It is equally inappropriate for non-extropian transhumanists 
to attempt to pigeonhole extropian transhumanists as all being cut from the 
same political cloth


Onward!

Max

_______________________________________________________
Max More, Ph.D.
max at maxmore.com or max at extropy.org
http://www.maxmore.com
Strategic Philosopher
Chairman, Extropy Institute. http://www.extropy.org
_______________________________________________________