[extropy-chat] 22nd century

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> Spontaneous abortion of foetuses more than several months developed
> can certainly be shattering, especially when a baby is desperately
> sought. But I think the point Trend and I were making is that it's
> extremely unlikely that this emotional attachment carries over to
> a clump of a hundred or so cells on a petri dish. The `miscarried
> fetuses' Mike mentions were surely not salvaged somehow within a
> week of conception and tearfully laid to rest with full ceremony?
> The only exception I can think of is the failure of an early
> implanted in vitro conceptus, where so much anxiety and uncomfortable

> preparation has been expended by the hopeful, hormone-drenched 
> mother-to-be, and that's almost exactly a counter-instance because of
> its special and `unnaturally' induced physical prelude.

Or they could be people who have been trying to conceive naturally for
a very long time and finally one takes but fails. People can get
fixated in a moment, and people who regard such things as sacred likely
would be more so. 

It is extremely inappropriate to be so judgemental and bigoted toward
the fixations, religious or otherwise, of others. If our opinions are
to ever be given any respect, credit, or place in public debate, we
need to show similar respect for others. They often look at our ideas
like we look on theirs. Quite a number of people who check out
transhumanism comment on how intolerant of conflicting ideas its
adherents tend to be, especially toward the religious.

Keeping the religious opinions out of government spending also requires
that we keep our own theoretical opinions out of it as well. It isn't
the job of government to fund non-defense research.

=====
Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Sadomikeyism


		
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