[ExI] YES! Hard-core transhumanist splinter groups yearning forcyber-heaven

[Giulio Prisco]

While I agree with all that Max says here, I do think uploading has
some kind of "special status" in transhumanism.

It is a quick bumper-sticker-like compatibility check: if one
considers uploading as feasible and desirable, (s)he is probably
positively attuned to transhumanism, otherwise (s)he is probably not.
There are exceptions to both cases of course, but I think this
generally holds. The correlation between uploading and transhumanism
is not 100% accurate, but very strong.

The feasibility of uploading follows naturally from recognizing the
brain as a device which obeys the laws of physics, performs
computations based on its previous state and current input, and uses
the results of such computations to act upon its environment and
update its state. This, which I consider self-evident, is not related
to any specific computational technology and implementation on any
specific substrate. The desirability of uploading follows naturally
from Transhumanism as a philosophy that seeks to continually overcome
human limits, including mortality and the cognitive and emotional
limits imposed by the human constitution as it naturally evolved

On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 12:49 AM, Max More <max at maxmore.com> wrote:
> Spike wrote:
>
>> The central point of transhumanism is the notion that it is physically
>> possible to upload sentience into another substrate.  I
>
> I think it's a serious error to say that. Transhumanism is a philosophy that
> seeks to continually overcome human limits, including mortality and the
> cognitive and emotional limits imposed by the human constitution as it
> naturally evolved. Personally, I think that uploading is feasible in
> principle and I don't have any personal identity based objections to it, but
> it is only one possible path in the future. You can be (and remain) a
> transhumanist if you expect uploading to be impossible or deadly or if it
> turns out not to be feasible.
>
> 'nuff said. I see that Damien and Natasha both made similar points.
>
> Let's be careful not to identify transhumanism essentially with any one path
> or technology.
>
> Max
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> Max More, Ph.D.
> Strategic Philosopher
> The Proactionary Project
> Extropy Institute Founder
> www.maxmore.com
> max at maxmore.com
> -------------------------------------
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