[extropy-chat] Nano: Distancing itself from Transhumanism

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

The original article URL on the site of the Converging Technologies
Bar Association is:
http://www.ctba.us/news.asp?postid=9
Very disturbing indeed. Since Roco is known as a sympathizer of
transhumanism (as is the president of the CTBA), the words quoted may
have been put there by the reporter or said by Roco as a PR line. But
this would mean that he thinks a perceived association with
transhumanism can be harmful to those wishing to pursue "serious
science" in a mainstream environment.
I am very disturbed by the bullshit about human dignity. Whoever has
assisted a sick person or watched a person dying knows that
transhumanism is all about human dignity. Whoever has seen a smart
brain destroyed by Alzheimer knows that transhumanism is all about
human dignity. Whoever understands that we humans are not as mentally
healthy and smart as we should be knows that transhumanism is THE ONLY
WAY to foster human dignity in the truest sense of these words.
Unfortunately these views cannot be dismissed and will continue to
pose a problem as long as transhumanism is not "taken seriously" and
perceived as "respectable" in the worlds of academy, finance and
policy making.
In other words we must buy a pinstriped suit with a smart tie and wear
it on appropriate occasions. Every teenager learns that as soon as
(s)he grows up: it is what you are supposed to do to be taken
seriously by adults in an adult world.
I agree with Natasha that there is a lot of work to do to correct this
image problem, and could not agree more on "I'm afraid that all
transhumanists are going to have to work together in the coming years,
rather than pointing a figure at any one organization for being the
culprit".


On Wed, 19 May 2004 10:30:41 -0400, natashavita at earthlink.net
<natashavita at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> "MELDING OF NANO, BIO, INFO AND COGNO OPENS NEW LEGAL HORIZONS"
> By Jack Mason, Small Times Correspondent
> 
> A small quote that caught my eye:
> 
> "Such prognostications are currently more speculation than science. Indeed,
> during a panel on legal and ethical issues, Roco jumped to his feet to
> distance the NBIC mission from any connection to the 'transhumanist'
> philosophy that supports overcoming biological limitations through
> technology. While some of the vision for NBIC may bleed over into a fringe
> interested in "posthuman" civilization, talk of cyborgs and mutants is
> presumably not good for winning support and funding for sober science.
> 
> "In fact, Roco emphasized that upgrading human beings and culture over the
> next two decades through interdisciplinary science must be done in a way
> "that respects human dignity." How that idea gets parsed as the debate
> moves ahead remains an open question."
> 
> Does anyone know Jason Mason or Zack Lynch, executive director of the
> Neurosociety Institute?
> 
> I think the issue here is the misinformation that transhumanist are not
> proponents of "human dignity."  We need to deal with this type of erroneous
> view.  Where did it start?  This type of misinformation is similar to other
> things said about "extropians" over the years which was not true, and today
> is being said about "transhumanists" which is not true.  I'm afraid that
> all transhumanists are going to have to work together in the coming years,
> rather than pointing a figure at any one organization for being the culprit.
> 
> As I said years ago, and continue to state, the most productive way to deal
> with gossip and bad press, from outside transhumanism and *also* inside
> transhumanism is to set the record straight.  ExI got some disingenuous bad
> press from insider political positioning a few years ago, which took time
> to eradicate.  It does us little, if any, good to hack away at our
> community by making public statements that affect *all of us.*
> 
> The underlying values of transhumanism is based on "human dignity," thus
> the concept of transhumanism. It is because of our dignity and respect for
> our humanity that we become transhumanists.  Transhumanism is a next step
> toward improving the "human condition."
> 
> We need more papers, more talks, more articles about why human dignity is
> essential for our future and how this can be applied to the transhumanist
> worldview.
> 
> Natasha
> 
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