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

[Natasha Vita-More]

Bret wrote:
 
"...I do implore people to also not attach Transhumanism to any specific
spiritual element.

"Such an attachment would effectively close the door on the rest of the
undecided population that has maybe only heard of Transhumanism
peripherally. Although our ideas have not turned them (yet), any spiritual
element would be a threat and send them running. One of Transhumanism's
strengths is that it is not religious."

I don't agree. Spirituality and religiosity are not synonymous. And it is a
mistake to group spirituality and religiousness as one thingy.

We need more metaphysics, a spirited sensibility, and caution about what and
who antagonizes transhumanism. We don't need to be turnkeys on people's
affinity toward personal need for physiological comfort. Zen is highly
beneficial, and Buddhism has value, as do many belief systems that do not
directly antagonize us.  

Who cares if someone drinks the blood of Christ isn't pestering us.  Just
life and let live.  (Unless they are trouble makers.)  

Natasha


Natasha Vita-More

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of
bret at bonfireproductions.com
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010 10:05 AM
To: extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
Subject: Re: [ExI] YES! Hard-core transhumanist splinter groupsyearning
forcyber-heaven

Quoting Giulio Prisco <giulio at gmail.com>:
> 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.


Hello all, it was such a pleasure seeing some of you last weekend at the H+
Summit - certainly if you are ever in my backyard again, please look me up.

On this point, now that I have read the thread. I think it is important to
note on what Giulio has said here as something else.

By saying uploading is feasible, you are essentially agreeing to Dualism in
the mind-body problem. You may as well have a bumpersticker that says so,
since uploading in the you-go-not-a-copy sense is only going to be possible
if Dualism is true - correct?

There is a website called commonsensemedia.org that helps parents make
decisions on what their kids watch. My kids have not seen the movie "9" yet,
in fact I almost wrote a review with the title "WARNING:  
CONTAINS DUALISM". So there are indeed Transhumanists that think the
movement of self is rife with as yet unaddressable issues.

And as far as not adhering to a specific technology, (where my
bumper-sticker would just say "I agree with Max") I do implore people to
also not attach Transhumanism to any specific spiritual element.

Such an attachment would effectively close the door on the rest of the
undecided population that has maybe only heard of Transhumanism
peripherally. Although our ideas have not turned them (yet), any spiritual
element would be a threat and send them running. One of Transhumanisms
strengths is that it is not religious.

~]3




_______________________________________________
extropy-chat mailing list
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat