[extropy-chat] I don't need an umbrella

Hughes, James J. james.hughes at trincoll.edu
Mon Jan 16 20:54:43 UTC 2006


> I feel a bit uncomfortable about ExI being described as an 
> "affiliated organization" under the "umbrella" of WTA.

Indeed - our relations are as affiliates, a fraternal relationship, not
a hierarchical one.

The reference to "umbrella" comes from two sources. First, the first
consitution we adopted in 2002 allowed for organizations to be members
of the WTA with voting rights alongside individuals. ExI was a formal
member of the WTA at that time. That was a dumb idea (like mushing
together the UN and the House of Representatives), and we dropped it in
favor of the fraternal "affiliation" acknowledgement. We are not
accountable to one another, and only to our memberships. Disaffiliation
is a possibility at any time.

Second, the WTA is consciously attempting to include and represent all
transhumanists. ExI has always made clear that extropianism is one
flavor or type of transhumanism, and that there are others. However you
define those flavors - politically, by values or by organizational
affiliation - the WTA is an organization that includes extropians along
with singularitarians, religious transhumanists, independents,
democratic transhumanists, technoprogressives and so on. So we are an
umbrella in terms of inclusion.

--------------------------------------------
James Hughes Ph.D.
Executive Director
World Transhumanist Assoc.   Inst. for Ethics & Emerging Tech.
http://transhumanism.org     http://ieet.org
director at transhumanism.org   director at ieet.org
Editor, Journal of Evolution and Technology
http://jetpress.org

Mailing Address: Box 128, Willington CT 06279 USA 
(office) 860-297-2376



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