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D<font size=2>ear Members, friends, and colleagues:<br><br>
</font>This letter is an announcement of the events taking place at
Extropy Institute as a result of its Strategic Plan 2006. A copy of the
Plan is available on ExI's website [
<a href="http://www.extropy.org/strategicplan.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.extropy.org/strategicplan.htm</a> ] for your review. The Plan
identifies some factors that ExI's Board has considered in assessing the
future of ExI and the best possible course of action to take for ExI, its
members, and other stakeholders.<br><br>
<b>The Past.</b> ExI was formed in 1990 by Max More and Tom Bell
with a mission to bring great minds together to incubate ideas about
emerging technologies, life extension and the future. ExI's goals were to
(1) develop an elegant, focused philosophy for transhumanismthe
philosophy of "Extropy"; (2) encourage discussions and debates
on improving the human condition; and (2) develop a culture for
activists, energized and devoted to bringing these ideas to the public.
The initiatives which realized these goals are (1) <i>Extropy: the
Journal of Transhumanist Thought</i>; Principles of Extropy; Extro
Conferences 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5; public forums such as the famed
"extropians" and "extropy-chat" email lists; public
presentations in the news, radio, televised documentaries, talk shows,
and films; and the VP Summit of 2004 addressing the backlash from
conservatives against technological advancements.<br><br>
<b>The Present. </b>ExI deems its mission as essentially
completed<font size=2>. </font>With this said, and in respect for Extropy
Institute’s legacy of achievement, the Board voted and has unanimously
agreed to close Extropy Institute's doors.<br><br>
Extropy Institute's website is being memorialized by turning it into a
reference "Library of Transhumanism, Extropy, and the Future,"
the beginnings, currents, and future of Transhumanism.<br><br>
On behalf of our members, I would like to thank Max for authoring the
philosophy of Extropy<font size=1><sup>1</sup></font><font size=2>
</font>and for his many efforts in working with others to steer the
philosophical development of transhumanism, which is truly treasured by
so many people in so many places.<br><br>
<b>The Future. </b>As you will see by reviewing the Strategic Plan, the
Proactionary Principle stands first and foremost as the concept with the
most potential for being of great service to humanity and transhumanity
as we go forward. The Proactionary Principle (ProP) can help society by
bridging the growing gap between conservative views and progress-oriented
views, and educating society about the future. Meeting these two
challenges by providing an active course of action can be of tremendous
benefit to us all.<br><br>
<font size=2>In respect for the philosophy of Extropy and the Principles
of Extropy, the Board of Extropy Institute believes that Extropy
Institute has served its mission and achieved its goals and, in
practicing the Principles of Extropy, our next step is to focus on
developing worldwide awareness of the ProP [
<a href="http://www.extropy.org/prop.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.extropy.org/prop.htm</a> ] and a network for proactive
futures.<br><br>
With my most sincere thanks for your support over the years,<br><br>
</font>Natasha Vita-More<br>
Extropy Institute, President<br><br>
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_____________<br>
<font size=1>Coined by Prof. Tom Bell (T.O. Morrow) in 1988. <br>
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