[extropy-chat] Hello, and Something I Wrote

[Technotranscendence]

Decent review and I'm in general agreement with your points.  Your point number 5 is one I've been trying to use a lot recently.  (Yeah, others have made the point independently...  You don't cite anyone in your review, but I reckon you know your points are not original.)  I think it's one of the better knockdown arguments against the anti-biotech types.  To defeat it they would either have to come up with a more nuance position that becomes less convincing or adopt a nonsensical position like being against all change.

I was also unaware that Kass made those predictions about in vitro fertilization.  Predictions, in general, are one way to blast at anyone.  (I've made a number of predictions, too, that have come out wrong, though they mostly centered on the next card in the deck.:)  This reminds me, too, that I was recently listening to an audio book where recombinant DNA was mentioned in passed.  Reading some of the debates from the 1970s, predictions about recombinant DNA -- the then next big thing in bioengineering -- creating super viruses or monsters were rife.  Well, where are they?

Anyhow, good work.

Oh, and regarding Kass, you might try to contact him or his aides directly.  My guess is he's not going to discuss matters with you unless you have credentials or have some power somewhere (such as you're the head of some think tank or college department).

Regards,

Dan
  From: Mike15007 at aol.com 
  To: extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org 
  Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 1:55 AM
  Subject: [extropy-chat] Hello, and Something I Wrote


  Hello everyone,

      I'm a newcomer on the Extropy Chat list, though I've known about Extropy for some time and find I agree with most (not necessarily quite all) of its principles. Well, I consider myself a libertarian if nothing else, and every libertarian should recognize if one finds two or more people who agree with each other on *everything,* there's only one mind technically at work!
      I am currently a member of the Orions Arm worldbuilding list and have been for some 3 years now. I've been on other lists, but OA has been my only constant. The underlying philosophy of OA, though it is a sci-fi site, is much inspired by Extropy. I understand quite a number of Extropians are, or have been, OA members as well.
      Anyway, just to add to the on-topic discussions on the list (I notice discussion on this list has wandered into an area all too common on many other lists right now - No need to specify!), here's something I wrote not too long ago for OA. It isn't specifically sci-fi, and deals with real-world events, specifically opposition to transhuman technologies by certain persons with a foot or two in the halls of power. Enjoy. Comments and criticisms welcome

      http://www.orionsarm.com/books/Wisdom_of_Repugnance.html

      Recently I've noticed, when I Google "Wisdom of Repugnance," this essay I wrote typically appears in the top 5. I do so sincerely hope Leon Kass Googles frequently >:-)

  Mike, Newbie
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