[ExI] Is Transhumanism Coercive?

[Natasha Vita-More]

Kelly, your use of "coercive" is disappointing and incorrect in relation to
this thread and transhumanism. And your supposition that "we all have to be
equal" is also disturbing because it presupposes a certain homogony, which
is anything but the future as presented through the writings and ideas of
transhumanism.

There is a vast difference between a trend and an enculturalization and a
coercive behaviors. The former are based on human psychology, which innate
desire is to be similar and to find people who you feel comfortable with and
want to emanate. The latter is a vulgar dictatorial insistence.  If people
tend to prefer one style of use of technology over another, this is a trend
and/or a process of enculturalization not a coerciveness act or action.


Natasha

Natasha Vita-More

Chair, Humanity+
PhD Researcher, Univ. of Plymouth, UK

Co-Editor, The Transhumanist Reader


-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Kelly Anderson
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 5:48 PM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: Re: [ExI] Is Transhumanism Coercive?

On Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 8:20 PM, Joseph Bloch
<seculartranshumanist at gmail.com> wrote:
> An interesting article by Ron Bailey over at Reason, concerning his 
> debate with Peter Lawler last week:
>
> http://reason.com/archives/2011/10/18/transhumanism-vs-bioconservati

I read through this whole thread, and didn't see anyone make the point that
we've more or less already made this decision. Today, anyone who wishes to
remain relevant to the larger society must, of competitive necessity, become
a fyborg. If you don't have your smart phone and computer at the ready, or
haven't yet obtained the latest iGadget, then you are viewed as somehow out
of touch with the leading edge of the zeitgeist.

So, in the competitive sense, we're already coerced into being fyborgs
today... how is being transhuman going to be any different than what's
already happening?

Will those who don't chose enhancement be Amish? Perhaps eventually, but not
for a while. They'll just become gradually more irrelevant.
Something like today's high school graduates (or worse drop outs). If you're
just a high school graduate today, you're treated like a second class
citizen by the market place (unless you are a huge outlier.)

So my answer is, yes, transhumanism is coercive over the long term, but not
as coercive over the shorter term, as these things start to become possible.
Look to fyborgization as the model for what will happen in the future. This
idea that we all have to be equal nauseates me, btw.

-Kelly
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