[ExI] H+ & religion call for papers

[Mercer, Calvin]

Damien has me think that the way we worded the call does imply that H+ functions in certain ways like religion.  I'll have a discussion with the steering committee about cleaning up some of that language so that it is more reflective of what I think is the committee's intention, or certainly my intention, which does not presume this.  



Calvin Mercer, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Religious Studies Program
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC  27858  USA
252 328 4310 (off & vm)
252 328 6301 (fax)
mercerc at ecu.edu
www.ecu.edu/religionprogram


-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Damien Broderick
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 3:07 AM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: Re: [ExI] H+ & religion call for papers

At 08:25 AM 2/24/2009 +0100, G. wrote:

>I agree with Max ...: "it's a mistake to reflexively attack
>everything that might be labeled as religion"

It might be a pragmatic mistake, like speaking up for serious gun 
control in Texas or on this list. As I recall, my own immune reaction 
kicked in when I saw the (perhaps unconsciously) weighted words used, 
with their implication that >H functions in the same way as 
religions--"identify and critically evaluate the implicit religious 
beliefs underlying key transhumanist claims and assumptions"-- and 
that >H should be analyzed as if it were a sect offering salvation 
and Divine Judgment after death ("soteriology, and eschatology"). 
Professor Mercer now tells us that this isn't so, but I'll be very 
surprised if the center of gravity of the discourse isn't off in that 
direction.

Damien Broderick


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