[extropy-chat] Extropian Politics was Reccommendations for a mailing list

[The Avantguardian]

--- Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc> wrote:

> 
> I would like to see a extropy-chat-politics list. 
> I'd also like to see 
> transhumanists discussing world future issues and
> politics away from the 
> standard libertarian and social democrat soap-boxes.
...
> On this list, I'd like to see ideas developed,
> discussed and debated.  Now, 
> with all that said, does anyone have a topic that
> will enrich our thinking 
> and understanding of how the heck we are going to
> realize our extropic future?

      My two cents: Politics is to society what
technology is to physical reality. Technology is
clever construction of matter/energy that exploits
natural law to control the physical world. Politics
similarly is a tool that utilizes the action of a
clever construction of ideas (a platform) to harness
secular law to manipulate the social status quo. Being
that this is how I view politics, I would have to vote
that we should NOT have a separate list for politics.
I think that a separate list would not be in our best
interest because:

A. Force us to spend yet more time managing incoming
information flow for fear that a particulally valuable
political insight might fall through the cracks.      

B. Hamper cross-talk between the artists, scientists,
technophiles and social engineers and serve to further
fragment our already diverse and heavilly
factionalized group.

     So why don't we just agree to put the word
[Politics] in the subject heading of our soap boxing
posts and get on with life?

     That being said, I agree that gloating or whining
about what the politicans already in power are doing
without some recommended remedy or action step is
pointless. So is vehemently campaigning for the
mainstream candidate that in the convoluted recesses
of ones own mind is the marginally lesser of two
evils.

     This is because, in case anyone hasn't noticed,
the ruling class in the United States now firmly
straddles both political parties. Bush and Kerry were
so similar because they answer to the same group of
people. They were in the very same secret fraternity
(Skull and Bones) at the very same Ivy League
university (Yale) wherein they bonded with the same
initiation rites and swore their loyalty to the same
set of ideals and the people that hold them.

     The ruling class does not truly care who is in
power, so long as that person is their tool, anymore
than Exxon cares if you drive a Ford or a Chevy. Much
more fruitful would be to assemble our own political
platform based on issues that are of vital interest to
extropic transhumanists. Then we would need to recruit
from other parties, or produce from our own ranks
politicians that would best serve our interests and
publicise the hell out of them.

      Note that this is not possible without obscene
amounts of money... but you would think that there
would be billionaires out there that like the concept
of mining asteroids and living to 200 years old. If I
were in charge of ExI, I would be I would be trying
harder to win over the Ross Perot types.

  




=====
The Avantguardian 


"The penis mightier than the sword."


		
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