[ExI] transhumanism in fiction

[Max More]

Damien pointed to some interviews with Greg Egan here:
http://www.gregegan.net/INTERVIEWS/Interviews.html

Some of his anti-(what he thinks is) transhumanism are curious and 
disappointing:

Egan: I have some quite strong philosophical disagreements with large 
sections of the transhumanist movement
I had an email from one transhumanist telling me that it was criminal 
that every intelligent person in the world wasn't working on 
uploading, because every significant human problem would be solved 
once we were immortal software. The blood of all the people who died 
because uploading didn't come sooner would be on the hands of those 
who didn't hasten its arrival.

[So, Egan apparently identifies transhumanism with the views of one 
fanatical person -- or the few who share that view.]

Another transhumanist meme that utterly amazes me is the idea that we 
ought to be handing the planet over to a benign, super-intelligent AI 
as quickly as possible.

[Another view that is certainly held by *some* transhumanists, but 
obviously far from all, and probably a minority.]


Many of your stories involve transhuman characters built with 
incredible, almost magic-like technology. Do you believe this is our future?

I hate the word "transhuman"; it suggests beings who have become 
something alien and incomprehensible to us.

Max


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Max More, Ph.D.
Strategic Philosopher
The Proactionary Project
Extropy Institute Founder
www.maxmore.com
max at maxmore.com
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