[ExI] FM-2030 (was Re: transhumanist as a philosophy)

[Natasha Vita-More]

Tom Nowell wrote:

"Please excuse any facetiousness in my reply, but the title of FM-2030s book
"Upwingers: a Futurist's Manifesto" may indicate otherwise - why entitle
your book a "manifesto" unless it is a call-to-arms for a movement?
Manifestos usually come in three forms -
1) a political party setting out its policy ideas (the everyday sense)
2) a philosophical text outlining a political philosophy, aiming to inspire
a political movement (as with Karl Marx's "A Communist Manifesto")
3) an artistic statement defining the principles of a movement (such as the
Italian Futurist's manifesto, or the Dogme school of film-making, or even
the Turku manifesto of live role-playing)"


FM created a project called "Upwingers". Upwingers is not transhumanism. It
was a futursit perspective, like his colleague Toffler, but in a different
style.  Regarding a movement: FM recognized the difficulties which arise
when trying to build an organization and a movement.  He called transhuman
an evolution and not a movement. He did not readily use the term
transhumanism.

"People tend not to use the word "manifesto" in a book title unless they are
interested in a movement."

Yes, this is true. 

"Natasha, would you say FM-2030 was using the word "manifesto" more in the
philosophical or artistic sense of the word?"

I think he used manifesto as a call to humanity.  I think he discouraged the
use of manifesto years later, at least he did to me when I authored the
"Transhuman Statement" in 1982-3 and it was become of him that I did not use
"manifesto" but used "statement".  Manifesto is a better term.

Natasha


      

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