[extropy-chat] Extropy, Political Viewpoint and the Future of ExI's List

[Natasha Vita-More]

Once again, I am asking that we put on our thinking caps.  Time is running 
out and we need to reevaluate and analyze what we stand for behind the 
philosophy of Extropy.

I have heard comments about Extropy Institute becoming too involved with 
transhumanism and too far away from the central philosophy of 
extropy.  What we need to keep in mind is that the philosophy of extropy is 
the original philosophy of transhumanism.  Certainly I understand many 
comments from varied perspectives that transhumanism has become watered 
down.  Perhaps we can rectify this by bringing Extropy more strongly into 
the society of the future.

As president of Extropy Institute, I have worked hard for quite some time 
to protect ExI from outlandish political positioning, bad press from early 
days of cult references, and being a small group of crazed futurists.  We 
know that we were here early on -- before our ideas hit the mainstream.  I 
have tried to keep ExI in that spiralling movement forward into the future 
in deference to ExI and its members.  Thanks to highly-visual people like 
Ray Kurzweil,  he has taken us along with him.  But dealing with the many 
backhanded treatment of ExI and its members has been quite 
difficult.  Instead of getting the support of early members, they turned on 
me because I wanted to realize a world-wide vision for our future, rather 
than a small clique.  It has drained me, I must admit.  What I want to do 
now, is to recapture EXTROPY for our future, both within transhumanism and 
outside of transhumanism.

Our Vice President, Greg Burch, said recently that our vision is beyond 
transhumanism.  I agreed.  Our vision, the vision of Extropy is far and 
wide, and no cultural movement should or can limit its meaning.  But that 
vision needs guidance and support.  Repeating and reiterating my words, he 
also said that we need a new political viewpoint -- one that far outreaches 
what we have known in the past - on that is more futuristic for a society 
that will find its place in the future and help others along into that 
future.  We have always been visionaries - we need to re-ignite our mental 
engines and put our heads together and let go off stigmas, the past, what 
was and find ourselves again as the brain-trust that we are.

First we need to reestablish this email list as a solid, intelligent, 
creative and inspiring email list.  No more fights.  No more wasted 
bandwidth.  I am expecting all list members to think about the quality of 
their posts before sending them to the list.

Second, I am going to encourage top list posters to get back on the list - 
those that are reading the list but too busy with their own lives and 
businesses to post frequently.  We need to hear from them!

Third, I want to thank list posters who have been here for many, many 
years, who are our top posters - Damien, Eli, John Clark, Max, Hal (Mike 
when you are not on a soapbox), Sam, Amara, Gina - and the rest of you - 
you know who you are.  You give this list quality and a reason for subscribing.

Fourth, we may reinvent this list within the next week - or create 
something else to tie into the list that will encourage high quality 
posting about the future technologies, problematic issues in the world 
stifling the future as we want to see it realized, and how support extropy.

More later -

Natasha






<http://www.natasha.cc/>Natasha <http://www.natasha.cc/>Vita-More
Cultural Strategist, Designer
Studies of the Future, University of Houston
President, <http://www.extropy.org/>Extropy Institute
Founder, <http://www.transhumanist.biz/>Transhumanist Arts & Culture

Knowledge is the most democratic source of power.  Alvin Toffler
Random acts of kindness... Anne Herbet

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