[extropy-chat] IRANSCOPE: Transhumanism and a Tribute to FM-2030

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

IRANSCOPE has a tribute to FM-2030 (Fereidoun Esfandiary) with a short
profile of his life and work, and a short outline of the transhumanist
worldview, which the author considers important for Iran's futurist
movement. Worth reading.
Transhumanism with trans meaning transition from human to post-human
is no longer an unknown philosophy, and it has important supporters,
such as the WTA association or public figures such as K. Eric Drexler,
the founder of the field of nanotechnology and author of the book
Engines of Creation, and Marvin Minsky, a cofounder of the field of
Artifical Intelligence and author of the book  Society of Mind.
Fereidoun Esfandiary was born in 1930 in Belgium and till the age of
11 had lived in 17 countries and called himself citizen of the
universe and believed that "there are no illegal immigrants, only
irrelevant borders," and in June 2000 he died in the U.S. and his body
is cryogenically preserved at the Alcor foundation.  He thought that
he was a 21st Century human accidently born in the 20th Century and
had changed his name to FM-2030.
The famous scientist and futurist of our times, Ray Kurzweil, in his
recent book  Fantastic Voyage, which he has copublished with Terry
Grossman, the ideas of transhumanism about the future of human
biological existence are shown with scientific research and he has
introduced the view that within 20 years, immortality is within the
reach of human beings.
In my opinion, the discussions of World Transhuman Association WTA are
very important for Iran's futurist movement and it is good if issues
of Future Human Evolution be discussed in the Iranian intellectual
circles.
http://www.ghandchi.com/368-transhumanismEng.htm