[extropy-chat] Extropy Institute Newsletter

Thu Mar 11 19:28:23 UTC 2004

Extropy Institute Newsletter
Next steps for VP Summit I, Plans for II and III (03-11-04)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings!

For launching a "first time" event, designing the 
infrastructure and bringing it all together, I'm pleased 
to say that Extropy Institute produced a successful 
Vital Progress Summit.

In the post-Summit wrap-up, we learned 
that there were supportive and 
encouraging comments for ExI continuing this format 
for the upcoming VP Summits II and III. We also 
recevied a lot of pros and a few cons concerning a few 
glitches, but they were 
minor in light of the accessibility and 
workability of the infrastructure.

But before we announce the plans for the next stages 
of the VP Summits (II, and III), let's recap what 
actually occurred during ExI's February Vital Progress 
Summit I.

How Many People Attended the online Summit? 
164+
people attended the Summit. This number does not 
include anyone who just stopped by to take a 
look.

How long did the Summit last? We expected it 
to last 2 
weeks, giving participants enough time to come and go 
at their own leisure. However, we did extend it one 
week, and I still am getting messages from people who 
want to get involved.

What can we expect the Summit outcome or 
deliverables? That will be completed the month of 
April 
and we will have a new webpage at Extropy Institue's 
website for this.

What are the next steps? See below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VP Summit I Recap on Principle Outcome; Plans for Summits II and III
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Summit's Success Leads to Summits II and III
* What to call the Summit's Principle? You decide!
* What about VP Summits II and III?

Summit's Success Leads to Summits II and III
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExI is taking its drafted plans for two more Summits to 
the drawing 
board. Frankly, if the Summit had not gone well, we 
would not be 
considering more of the same. Since it did, we are in 
the pre-planning stages for Summits II and III.

What to call the Summit's Principle? You decide!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One outcome of the Summit I is to author a principle 
countering the misuse of the well-known "Precautionary 
Principle" as a rallying tool against positive uses of 
biotechnology. So Max More asked Summit 
participants: "As the VP Summit begins to formally 
reach its close (though activity will continue on the 
site and on sculpting outcomes from inputs), I think we 
need a place to gather candidates for an alternative to 
the Precautionary Principle. Our Proactionary Principle 
should draw on all the smart 
thinking during the VP Summit to succinctly make a 
point about vigorous progress with reasonable/balanced 
caution. 

"My challenge to you: Offer a candidate version of the 
Proactionary Principle 
that manages to say essentially what needs to be said 
while remaining brief and easily digestible."

Response from Reason, Reason Founder, Longevity 
Meme: 

"'Proactionary principle' - I do like that. A meme to keep 
working on - can't oppose the precautionary principle 
without offering something better in its place. Never 
criticise without proposing a solution, as they say. 
I always have good things to say about those who 
stand up and do what needs to be done. Proactive is 
good. A proactionary principle could say exactly the 
same thing on paper as the precautionary principle, but 
it would still be better - as the default behavior is "do" 
as opposed to 'not do.'"

Response from Ben Hjink, ExI's Transhumansit 
Student 
Activist:

"I had actually been ready to propose a 'Progress 
Principle' but 'Proactionary' is MUCH less 
ambiguous. First some concentrated content (to be 
flexibly employed): 
 
1. Cognitive Liberty (Center for Cog Lib and Ethics) 
 
2. Self-ownership (Max More) 
 
3. Morphological Freedom (Anders Sandburg) 
 
4. Basis in fallibilistic inquiry (scientific method and 
intersubjective dialog) 
 
5. Necessity of freedom of "Experiments in Living" for 
any progress + maintenance of "living truths" 
over "dead dogmas" (J.S. Mill) 
 
6. Personhood ethics from many angles (virtue, 
consequentialist, deontological) over particularly 
*inflexible* perspectives, be they sociobiological (Kass, 
E.O. Wilson), religious dogmatism (ensoulment at 
conception and command ethics), or "deep ecologist" 
fundamentalism (E.arth L.iberation F.ront). (Max More, 
others) 
 
7. Factoring of COSTS from delays, restrictions, and 
bans into decisions concerning any regulatory proposal. 
Mindfulness of urgent need by groups of individuals. 
Tolerance for augmentational experiments in living, be 
they ever so unpopular, that do not directly harm 
others. 
 
8. Pragmatic values of reason and empathy 
 
9. More active perspectives of "removing obstacles" to 
the cultivation and development of personal faculties 
may be woven into dialogue, but in questions of 
compulsion, J.S. Mill's values of free choice and 
personal liberty for those "in the fullness of their 
faculties" (or baseline adults) embodied in his "Harm 
Principle" generally outweighs well-intentioned but-
possibly-wrong efforts like TH Green's "positive 
freedom." 
 
These are merely preliminary suggestions I hope will be 
critiqued as the list is extended.

Max More responds to Ben:
<p>
You noted: 'pro- + reactive? : acting in anticipation of 
future problems, needs, or changes.' 
>From a strategic planning perspective, you can 
distinguish four approaches to the future (not counting 
the resisters): 
<br>
Reactive: planning by looking back at what already 
happened. 
Inactive: Going with the flow, swept along by events. 
Preactive: Preparing for the future. 
Proactive: Designing and creating the future. 
<br>
One reason I like 'Proactionary Principle' rather 
than 'Progress Principle' is that (apart from being more 
distinctive) the phrase distinguishes it from the more 
strenuous 'Perpetual Progress' found in the Principles of 
Extropy. Our PP should be acceptable to a wider range 
of individuals and orgs than the distinctively 
transhumanist principle in the Principles of Extropy."

Read about the Summit. >> http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vfzomzn6.rmatvyn6.plr4mzn6.yb4rxun6.2058&p=http%3A%2F%2Fsummit.extropy.org

What about VP Summits II and III?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is VP Summit II?
 The next stage of the Summit Series while will 
focus on 
religions, featuring keynotes from a broad spectrum of 
religous beliefs.

What is the Date of Summit II? 
 It is scheduled for 
June/July, 2004.

<b>What about Summit III?</b>
<br>So far, it looks like VP Summit III will focus on 
world 
politics</b>

What is the Date of Summit III? 
 It is scheduled for October, 2004.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick Links...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extropy Institute >> http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vfzomzn6.rmatvyn6.nlr4mzn6.yb4rxun6.2058&p=http%3A%2F%2Fnew.extropy.org%2F
Membership >> http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vfzomzn6.rmatvyn6.hozkwwn6.yb4rxun6.2058&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.extropy.org%2Fmembership.htm
Read Summit Material >> http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vfzomzn6.rmatvyn6.olr4mzn6.yb4rxun6.2058&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.summit.extropy.org
How do I join ExI? >> http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vfzomzn6.rmatvyn6.hozkwwn6.yb4rxun6.2058&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.extropy.org%2Fmembership.htm
What about email lists? >> http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vfzomzn6.rmatvyn6.lozkwwn6.yb4rxun6.2058&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.extropy.org%2Femaillists.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: info at extropy.org
voice: 512 263-2749
web: http://www.extropy.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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