[ExI] Resources for a beginning transhumanist

[Max More]

Sabrina asked:

 > So I was hoping that some list members might be able to point me to
 > some resources for the beginning transhumanist.

I see that Damien's book, The Spike, was mentioned. That's a good 
source, especially since it draws on ExI list discussions, making it 
contextually relevant.

Aleksei Riikonen recommended primarily Nick Bostrom's writing. Those 
are indeed good and you should look at them. But you may get a 
distorted picture of transhumanism if that's your only focus. It's 
odd that Aleksei would suggest such a narrow set of sources on *this* 
email list, which predates by years Nick's initial contributions to 
transhumanism. To balance things, here are some suggestions of works, 
mostly by me (starting in the late 1980s) that are highly relevant, 
along with some others:

Principles of Extropy
http://www.extropy.org/principles.htm

A Letter to Mother Nature: Amendments to the Human Constitution
http://strategicphilosophy.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-about-ten-years-since-i-wrote.html
http://www.maxmore.com/mother.htm

History of Extropy Institute:
http://www.extropy.org/history.htm

Transhumanism: Towards a Futurist Philosophy
http://www.maxmore.com/transhum.htm

On Becoming Posthuman (a different version of  the original 
"Transhumanism", this one published in the major humanism publication 
Free Inquiry)
http://www.maxmore.com/becoming.htm

True Transhumanism
http://www.metanexus.net/magazine/tabid/68/id/10685/Default.aspx

Also see other contributions to that issue (edited by Natasha 
Vita-More... 
http://www.metanexus.net/magazine/PastIssues/tabid/126/Default.aspx?PageContentID=33
... including Natasha's "Bringing Arts/Sciences and Design Into the 
Discussion of Transhumanism" and Russell Blackford's "Trite Truths 
About Technology: A Reply to Ted Peters", and pieces by Michael 
LaTorra, Mark Walker, and others.

Dynamic Optimism: An Extropian Cognitive-Emotional Virtue
http://www.maxmore.com/optimism.htm

Self-Transformation: Expanding Personal Extropy
http://www.maxmore.com/selftrns.htm

Embrace, Don't Relinquish, the Future
http://www.kurzweilai.net/embrace-dont-relinquish-the-future

Self-Ownership: A Core Extropian Virtue
http://www.maxmore.com/selfown.htm

Pancritical Rationalism: An Extropic Metacontext for Memetic Progress
http://www.maxmore.com/pcr.htm

http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/people/Max-More/?interview=32

Finally, the ultimate collection of foundational texts on 
transhumanism will be The Transhumanist Reader. This is a collection 
of around 50 contributions, in the final stages of being put together 
by Natasha Vita-More and myself.

Happy reading!

Max



-------------------------------------
Max More, Ph.D.
Strategic Philosopher
Co-editor, The Transhumanist Reader
The Proactionary Project
Extropy Institute Founder
www.maxmore.com
max at maxmore.com
-------------------------------------