[ExI] Humanity+ Talk The new Century

[Amon Zero]

On 17 August 2011 17:55, Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc> wrote:

> **
> Nice site and I love the graphics. But I am not too fond of zero
> suffering.  In fact, I don't mind a little headache every now and then and
> actually I like a solid mental or physical struggle to overcome.  The notion
> of a zero suffering reminds me of the notion of "perfection", which is
> something I find little value in because once perfection is reached, there
> is no further aim/goal.  The very act of perfection, in and of itself, lacks
> praxis. I wonder if the same could be said of "zero suffering".  If it is a
> "transhuman praxis" you are fostering (and the transhuman praxis is what I
> personally value above all else), then it must not have zero suffering in
> order to be a viable praxis.
>


Thanks very much for that Natasha - That's very much appreciated!

Yes, I can't disagree with you at all there, but there are two brief things
I'd say. The second is that we focus on involuntary suffering, which of
course comes with its own issues and doesn't make for such a good soundbite.

The second is that, to my mind at least, the Abolitionist mem (i.e. Zero
(involuntary) suffering) is like a totem or ideal to gather under, but not
one that should preclude short-term efforts on any number of fronts. As
transhumanists, we can all agree that making life better is the highest
goal, and while it would be glib to say "the rest is details", I feel it
would be a mistake not to make the effort at all, just because we expect a
difficult journey. (Not that I think you're suggesting that - I'm just
saying...)

All the Best,
A
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