[ExI] Futurism in the Geekipedia

[Natasha Vita-More]

At 03:04 PM 10/1/2007, PJ Manney wrote:

>Has anyone gotten a look at Wired's Geekipedia?  Under the entry
>"Futurism" is a breakdown of supposed Futurist schools: Capitalists,
>Socialists, Totalitarians and Apocalyptics.
>
>http://www.wired.com/culture/geekipedia/magazine/geekipedia/futurism
>
>Here's what they say about people we supposedly resemble:
>
>"Totalitarians:
>Futurists of this variety don't merely forecast or speculate.  The
>have a rigid ideological conviction about what the future holds, and
>they'll happily force it on anyone within reach.  Prominent schemes
>come from situationists, singularity enthusiasts and transhumanist
>visionaries who are so desperate to escape the nightmare of history
>that nobody else can figure out what they're talking about.  Major
>proponent: Project for the New American Century."
>
>HUH?!  In their wildest imaginings, when did transhumanists or
>singulartarians become neo-cons???!!!  Did I just wake up and you all
>invaded Iran while I slept???
>
>Some of us may partially resemble the capitalists and some of us the
>socialists and some both simultaneously (and none ,thank goodness,
>resemble the Apocalyptics, who are Fundies), but for Pete's sake, do
>these guys know anything about actual futurism???

Yes I think they do but in this thing - this pedia - whatever it is - 
they are ignorantly segregating for effect.
Years ago Wired was friendly with transhumanism, especially its 
philosophy of Extropy.  Kevin Kelly, the founder, is a friend and he 
admires Max and Eric, etc.  As I emailed Mike La Torra privately, I 
have been written up in Wired several times and never criticized or 
made to look bad.  There was no hate, but a genuine fondness and 
appreciation.  Wired had been the darling of futurist ideas for many 
years.  Then little by little things started changing.  When Alex 
Herd wrote about transhumanists for the New York Times in 1999, he 
was objective and favorable.  He later became editor of Wired and 
things changed.  I know he left quickly thereafter.  Wired started 
getting a little mean-spirited.  But there was still people like Mark 
Frauenfedler and Brian Alexander and RU Sirius who were not 
transhumanists but respected us.  Over time, changed continued and 
some of the writers got snotty.  Bruce Sterling still writes for 
Wired.  Bruce does not speak well of transhumanism and he has a loud voice.

In short, Wired has changed.

Natasha


<http://www.natasha.cc/>Natasha <http://www.natasha.cc/>Vita-More
PhD Candidate, Planetary Collegium -University of Plymouth - Faculty 
of Technology,
School of Computing, Communications and Electronics, Centre for 
Advanced Inquiry in the Interactive Arts

If you draw a circle in the sand and study only what's inside the 
circle, then that is a closed-system perspective. If you study what 
is inside the circle and everything outside the circle, then that is 
an open system perspective. - Buckminster Fuller
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