[ExI] An old skeleton tumbles out of the list closet

[Giulio Prisco]

Ken's essay is very interesting. Yes, Robert used to express very
controversial opinions at times. I remember that the post in question
was strongly criticized by most people on this list.

@Anders re "Is there a way of getting a common human identity without
going for fictional religious explanations?"

Religious "human exceptionalism" values humans because they are
humans. The countless mass slaughters committed by organized religion
make it difficult to believe in their sincerity though, it seems to me
that if you love humans you don't kill them, but perhaps I am just
being anti-intellectual. As Ken says, "human" needs to be defined, now
that the old definition is breaking down. I don't think a common
definition is realistic, or even desirable. My own definition of
"persons"  includes most people, but also cute doggies and kind,
compassionate AIs or aliens.

@Charlie and Anders re Marxism, Stoicism, Epicureanism etc.

Some Marxist writers like Haldane and Bernal have shown that Marxism
can be extended as a suitable philosophy for future humans. I think
Marx himself would have been quite sympathetic to their views (not
Lenin though). I consider the philosophy of the Russian Cosmists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cosmism of the late 19th century,
and modern Cosmist formulations like Ben Goertzel's, as a good
starting points for future philosophies.