[extropy-chat] Brian Alexander shooting fish in a barrel

[Natasha Vita-More]

At 12:40 AM 1/24/04 +0100, Anders wrote:

>Damien Broderick quoted Brian Alexander:
> > It sometimes sounded as if they were
> > plotting a future world in which they could take revenge on every
> > jock who ever made fun of the smart kids.
>
>This is true in my case. When I was mobbed in school, I decided to change
>the world so that the kind of people who taunted me would be at the bottom
>and have to learn the stuff they taunted me for learning. The irony is
>that Bill Gates beat me to it.
>
>(And now I'm of course going around all bodhisattva-like with forgiveness
>of them... not really :-)
>
>But isn't Alexander's description of the early extropians (sounds very
>mid-90's) spot on, in terms of how we did look? These days transhumanists
>are less flamboyant and a bit less prone to overstatements (with some
>fortunate/unfortunate exceptions). Probably because we are getting
>mainstream. Yay! ;-)

Good point Anders.  I think the important thing to realize is that the 
early extropians were just that - early, meaning more radical and 
reactionary.  I suppose when I was in my 20s I was a bit out there as 
well.  I never identified with the early extropians, other than loving 
their sense  of flare and intelligence.  There were very smart, determined 
transhumanists.  I admired it, but didn't fit in. I was too much a 
transhumanist in its early sense, which also was too much into the art of 
it all rather than the practicalities.  I've changed over the years too - 
just as transhumanism has changed and become more mainstream.

However, I attribute the mainstreaming of transhumanism to "extropians" 
maturation and the sophistication of the philosophy of extropy.

I'd like to see all transhumanist organizations becoming more "extropic" 
and promoting the philosophy of extropy because the philosophy of extropy 
is the underlying ideal and critical thinking of transhumanity.

Now, if we can get WTA and other transhumanist organizations to become more 
extropic - to promote the philosophy of extropy, we will have made great 
strides.  Transhumanism is a movement to be sure, but it is the extropic 
aspect of transhumanity that sings brightest.


>Transhumanist with a suit and tie, and proud of it.

Me too.

Natasha


>--
>Anders Sandberg
>http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa
>http://www.aleph.se/andart/
>
>The sum of human knowledge sounds nice. But I want more.
>
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Natasha Vita-More
http://www.natasha.cc
----------
President, Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
Founder, Transhumanist Arts & Culture  http://www.transhumanist.biz
http://www.transhuman.org
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