[ExI] Open Individualism

[Jason Resch]

On Thu, Jan 4, 2024, 1:51 PM Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> On Thu, Jan 4, 2024 at 9:26 AM Jason Resch via extropy-chat <
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, Jan 4, 2024, 12:10 PM Tara Maya via extropy-chat <
>> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>>
>>> So it's like a "people's republic" where the combination of words
>>> actually reverses the meaning of both. Open Individualism" is a philosophy
>>> that is the inverse of the Enlightenment's ideal of individualism; in fact,
>>> it's quite fine to sacrifice millions of so-called "open individuals" if
>>> they are but clonal cells sacrificed by the One Body for the Greater Good.
>>>
>>
>> I am not sure how you get from "all experiences belong to one universal
>> person" to justifying the sacrifice of millions. Can you explain what steps
>> you took to get there?
>>
>
> It's quite simple, with ample historical documentation.  Whenever
> individual human beings become seen as not distinct persons, but just
> assets belonging to someone else - much like your skin cells are your
> assets, not individual people - then they can and will be sacrificed en
> masse if and when convenient for the "real" people.
>

The question of individual rights is entirely separate from the question of
what experiences belong to which persons (the concern of personal
identity). I think it's an error to conflate the two. The implication of it
that I see is that it converts self-interest into the interests of all, it
motivates and provides a rational justification for what would normally be
called "selfless acts". If it convinced leaders that in killing others they
are only killing themselves, then this idea seems a powerful antidote
against wars and genocides.

Jason



> In this case, if everyone is the same person, then everyone is me.  I own
> myself and everything that is me.  If both of these are true, I therefore
> own everyone else (again: because everyone else is me and I own all parts
> of myself).
>
> If I own everyone else, then they are assets of mine that I do not need to
> treat as distinct human beings.  I know that I am a person, so if there is
> only one universal person, then I am that person.
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